That's What Girls Do
by mewmewgodess
Summary: Haku wants to be true to himself, but to do so he needs his friends' support. More than that, he needs acceptance. From friends, family, and his school. "It's as if I'm not being the real me." AU. Slight ItaNeji.
1. Best Friend

_**That's What Girls Do**_

**Chapter 1 - Best Friend**

Neji opened the front door without knowing at all who would be on the other side. His friends came to see him whenever they felt like it and very rarely warned him before suddenly showing up at his door. He smiled at Haku and ushered him inside, worried by his friends obvious nervousness.

Haku removed his shoes and shuffled awkwardly from one foot to the other while Neji watched him oddly. Realising his friend might need a bit of a push to get out of his reserved state, he stpoke.

"Let's go to my room."

Haku nodded and they went there, stopping in the living room so that Haku could greet Hinata and Hanabi. Neji had known Haku for years and as such, his cousins had gotten to know him very well too. They adored him, as did Neji and their other friends.

Once within Neji's private quarters, Neji turned to his friend expectantly. Haku looked at the bed and pointed to it, "Can we sit?"

Neji nodded, giving him another strange look. They'd known each other long enough to have gotten comfortable around each other. Haku usually acted as though Neji's home was his home, and for him to act formally was just completely out of the norm. There was something going on in that brain of his, and Neji was going to know what it was.

"What's up?" He asked, sitting on his pillow, his back against the headboard, while Haku sat down stiffly at the foot of the bed.

"How...How did you figure out that you're different from the other boys?" Haku didn't meet his gaze, keeping his brown eyes on his painted fingernails.

"You mean the whole being gay thing?"

"Yeah..."

"You just _know_." Neji said, but elaborated upon realising that that might not be the answer he was looking for, "When the other guys would talk about girls I always felt like an outsider because I never got it. I've never seen what they see, and I came to accept that I never would. I like boys and that's not going to change. It's not about figuring it out, it's about accepting it."

"You didn't accept it at first."

"No, I didn't. But you guys opened my eyes. There's always going to be some assholes out there, but I have my friends who accept me. So why shouldn't I accept myself?"

Haku shifted so that they were looking at each other, and he sent his friend a tiny smile, "I suppose."

Neji moved until he was closer to his friend, and he took hold of Haku's hand with both of his own, "What's on your mind, honey?"

"I don't really know how to explain it..."

"Give it a try. I'm all ears."

"It's just...I want to be able to wear pretty dresses and skirts without people looking at me weird! I mean, sometimes it feels like I ought to have been born a girl. It's as if I'm not being the real me when I try to be _manly_. Or you know, as manly as I can be."

"Yeah, I see where you're coming from." Neji bowed his head, not looking at his friend.

Haku stared at him, his heart beating wildly and his fear invading him like a swarm of bugs. He couldn't keep quiet and began to ramble, "I came to you because you're my best friend and because people were mean to you and I thought you'd be the most, you know, sensitive to this sort of thing. But I know this is really weird and I totally get it if you want to pretend this whole conversation never happened."

"You know what this means right?" Neji said suddenly, and Haku stared at him in fear. That fear was lessened when Neji looked up at him, a smile on his lips and a brightness in his eyes that showed happiness, "We have to go get you some pretty dresses and skirts."

"You think I should...?"

"Haku, I want you to be you. If you want to wear dresses then I'm here to support you in that decision. Let's go get your dad's credit card. Do you want me to ask Hinata and Hanabi to come? I'm sure they'd enjoy a shopping spree."

"Oh, um, I'd rather it be just us, you know? I mean I'm still trying to figure this out and...My dad's credit card? I can't do that. He'll ask me why I need it and you know I can't lie to him."

"Who said anything about lying?"

"Neji, I don't think telling my dad about this is such a good idea, I mean, what if he decides it's too much? He can put me back in the agency and then I'll have to get new parents and I can't go through that again, Neji, I can't!"

"Woah! Calm down there oh girly one. I'm not going to force you, but we both know how ridiculous that all sounded, right?"

Haku took his hand out of Neji's and burried his face in his hands, feelings overwhelming him in a way that wasn't pleasant at all.

"We both know your dad loves you too much to ever even think about giving you to those adoption people. Haku, he's been your foster father for six years. You're like his son. There is nothing he wouldn't do for you. You could tell him that you want to be a prostitute in Holland's red district and he would still support you. Okay, not if you wanted to be a prostitue, but what parent would support that kind of career choice anyways?"

"I know he's supportive and all, I just don't know how he'd take this. What kind of father would want to help their son buy girl clothes?"

"No father wants their son to decide he wants to be a girl. But it's like I said earlier, it's all about acceptance. It might take him off guard, but he will accept it. I have no doubt about that. I know it won't be easy for you, but if this is what you really, truly want, then you'll have to tell him eventually."

"I know. I've been thinking about this for so long and I think I'm ready to, you know, come out, and this is what I really want, but..."

"You're scared. And it's completely understandable."

"But it feels like..." Haku hesitated. Neji was probably getting tired of listening to him whine.

"Yeah?" But Haku was wrong. Neji wanted nothing more than to listen to him talk about his fears and worries. That's what friend are for after all.

"It feels like it would be asking too much from him. I know he's my father, but...he took me in and asking him to be supportive about this...It's too much to ask of him."

"Is this what you really, really want to do?"

"Yes."

"Then let's go see your father. Or would you rather go alone then come meet me here or at the mall later?"

"I just said I can't tell him." Haku stressed out, but Neji smiled at him again.

"You'll have to tell him eventually. Why not today?"

"But-but..." He was getting more and more stressed because he felt that Neji wasn't hearing the words coming out of his mouth. He couldn't tell his father. He just couldn't.

"Don't you think he'll wonder what's going on when you leave the house in a dress and three inch heels?"

"Well..."

"You can't hide this from him, Haku. Personally, I think he would prefer to hear the truth from you rather than from somebody else or from seeing it. He'd want you to talk to him about this before taking the bigger steps. Besides, once you know he's okay with this, you'll feel a hundred times better. Try to tell me I'm wrong about this."

Haku sighed in defeat, and Neji smiled victoriously, "You're right, I suppose..."

"I told you I was right. I'll drive you home. I'll wait in the car while you go speak to your dad, sound good to you?"

"You mean today? As in, now?"

"Of course." Neji stood up and took his car keys off his bedside table. "Coming?"

"Yeah, um, okay." His nerves picked up speed, and he attempted to calm himself unsuccessfully. He was actually going to do this. He was actually going to tell his father that he wanted to be a girl.

Neji must have noticed how freaked out he was becoming because he was quick to wrap an arm around his waist reassuringly, "Honey, relax. I'll be helping you every step of the way, and I know the others will be as accepting of you as they were of me."

They began to walk towards the door, but Haku hesitated once more. He turned to his friend, "Are you sure you want to help me? People are already bullying you because you're openly gay. Helping me through this whole process is just going to make you even more of a target."

Neji squeezed his waist and smiled at him, "You were there for me when I came out, I'm going to be there for you. Besides, I don't get bullied _that_ much. I mean, the guys are so over-protective! I hardly have to protect myself. I'll be fine, and you'll be fine. We're all going to be okay."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

* * *

><p>AN: Hello. New story...This actually isn't really a story. I intended this to be a one-shot, but it would have been a long one-shot. And since I'm not a fan of long one-shots, this is basically going to be a short story. I don't know how many chapters though, probably 4 or 5. It depends how this goes, although I already kinda know how this is going to go. This was supposed to be a crack one-shot, but I can't write crack, so here's something kinda serious!<p>

I hope you liked this first chapter. Anybody know who could be their guy friends? I have ideas, but I'll take into consideration who you guys think should be their friends.

Thank you for reading!  
>-MewMew<p> 


	2. Father

**Chapter 2 - Father**

Haku felt like he was going to faint at any second how badly his nerves were on edge. Every step felt like a mile. Every tiny noise echoed through his head making it sound like drums banging on his temples. His hands fidgeted with the bottom of his shirt as he made his way up the cement steps leading to the front door of his home.

Neji had parked his uncle's mercedes behind his father's four-by-four, and he remained in the vehicle, music blarring, while he waited for Haku to speak to his father and to return with the credit card. "_Take your time._" Neji had said, reclining the seat and settling his feet on the steering wheel, looking comfortable and relaxed.

The exact opposite of what Haku was feeling.

Once in front of the door he took in a deep breath, trying to calm down his pacing heart. Hesitantly, he took the doorknob and turned it, pushing open the door. He really didn't want to go inside, but he knew he had no choice. Neji was right. He'd have to tell his father the truth eventually. Why had he decided to do this again? Oh, right. To be able to be true to himself.

Why couldn't he have been born with the right genitalia...?

"Hey, daddy." He called out to his father, making his way to the workshop where he knew his father would be working on one of his new weapons. A butcher by day, a blacksmith by night. Zabuza truly loved his knives and other pointy objects.

He was still huddled over his baby, _kubikiribocho_, or as Haku liked to call it, the really long, scary knife-killing-thing his father rarely left out of his sight. The only thing Zabuza took care of more than the sword was Haku himself.

"Hey, there. Back already?" Zabuza wiped off his forehead with a nearby rag and turned to face his son, the smile on his lips showing his pointed teeth.

"Neji and I are going to go shopping. He's waiting in the car outside." Haku started hesitantly, avoiding meeting his gaze.

"Do you need money? My wallet's on the table. I don't have cash, but you can take my credit card." Zabuza said breezily, as if he gave his son his credit card all the time. It wasn't often that Haku asked for money, but when he did, Zabuza was ready to give it. He trusted his son not to waste it on pointless things. Haku was responsable and intelligent, and Zabuza knew that of anybody in his entourage, Haku would be the last one to max out his credit card. Although his fascination for shoes did take up all the money Haku made from his part-time job...

How many pairs of shoes does one person need ayways? Zabuza never got it, but Haku worked for the money and could spend it on what he wanted.

"Thanks, daddy."

Zabuza stared at his son, wondering why he wasn't leaving (he had the okay to go shopping, he should have already been out the door). He waited patiently as Haku forced himself to look him in the eye. He frowned. There was something more to this, and his stress increased, easing only when Haku finally spoke.

His eyes dropped to the floor again, "Do you want to know what I'm going to get?" The words didn't come out easily, but now that he'd started he knew that he wouldn't be able to leave without explaining everything. Now came the hard part.

"What are you going to get?"

He parted his lips, but no words came out. He couldn't say it. How could he tell his very much manly father that he wanted to go buy women's clothing? Clothing that he wanted to wear on a daily basis? How could he ever look him in the eyes again if he were to tell him that?

"What is it, Haku?" Zabuza asked, stepping towards his son. He put a hand on his shoulder, but Haku still wouldn't meet his gaze. "Talk to me."

"I was thinking about getting some clothes. Maybe-maybe a couple skirts, and perhaps a dress, and maybe some heels or something. You know how much I love my shoes. I mean, if that's okay with you."

"Oh." Zabuza stared at his son, and Haku continued to look at the ground. He didn't want to see his father's facial expression. Didn't want to see what he was feeling. Or thinking.

"Yeah..." He muttered into the silence that hovered around them.

"Well, okay then. Have fun."

"What?" Haku said and thought. He'd just put everything out there and all his father had to say was 'have fun'? Did he not understand what he'd been told?

"I've always known you were different Haku. To be honest, I thought you were just gay, but if wearing the skirts and stuff is what you think will make you happy; well, who am I to judge?"

"You're my father."

"Exactly. Parents don't judge their children."

Against his best efforts not to, Haku burst into tears. It was a giant relief to hear his father say such a thing. He thought being accepted by his friend made him happy, but knowing that even his father -the butcher, the blacksmith, the manliest man he knew- would support him in his choice, he couldn't help but be overwhelmed by joy.

Zabuza wrapped his arms around his son, bringing him into a hug. Haku cried, his tears soaking his shirt, but he waited, rocking him gently. Zabuza understood that it wasn't easy for his son to come out to him, but he was glad he had. He was glad that he would be able to be there for his son. To support him and to love him like he truly deserved.

Haku slowly stopped crying, and he slowly pulled back. He stared at Zabuza and smiled brightly at him, but it faded within a moment, "Are you sure about this?"

To answer him plainly, Zabuza planted a kiss upon his child's forehead, "Go have fun with your friend. Buy what you need and limit yourself to only two pairs of shoes."

"Thank you!" The smile came back, this time staying. "I love you, daddy."

"I love you too, son."

Haku couldn't wipe the smile off his face as he went to the kitchen and riffled through his father's wallet. The credit card jumped out at him, and he took it carefully, treating it like the most precious thing in the world. Time for some serious shopping. What a great way to spend a saturday. Especially since he was shopping with his best friend, his gay best friend (gotta be fashionable), whom accepted him and would be willing to help him buy women's clothing with his father's credit card.

He almost skipped to the car, feeling light and bubbly. It was a good day.

Opening the passenger door and sitting down was what brought Neji out of his tranquil state. His feet were still propt up, and he'd been resting his eyes while listening to the radio. He sat down normally and turned to smile at his friend. He knew it had gone well by the smile on Haku's face. And by the credit card he was waving at him.

"Good to go?" He asked to be sure.

"Time for some shopping."

* * *

><p>AN: Hello. Anyone surprised that I made Zabuza Haku's foster father? Not that surprising, but I've always loved their interaction. They're totally adorable together. And by the way, there will of course be some ItaNeji in this. I just can't not write them together. I would be ashamed of myself otherwise. Other pairings are to be determined. Ideas for friends for these two guys are still welcomed!<p>

I'd like to thank **EatEmUp** for reviewing! Thank you very much!

Thank you for reading,  
>-MewMew<p> 


	3. Cashiers

**Chapter 3 - Cashier(s)**

It was _the_ Mall. When someone said they were going to the mall it meant they were going to the Mall. There were several others, but none of them compared with the Mall. Did it have a name? Nobody knew. It was simply known as the Mall to all those that went there. Of course, that included Haku and Neji who went there repeatedly.

It was the place to be. One could buy anything they wanted, clothes, shoes, electronics, movies, video games, food, drinks, animals, accessories, furniture, paintings, paint, haircuts, massages, etc. The older generation went there during the weekdays to have their coffee and read their newspapers. But during the weekends, the mall belonged to the teenagers.

Konoha was a big village, with several different high schools and elementary schools. In the center of all of those puberty-influenced adolescents was the Mall, better placed than anybody could have hoped. It was there, it was big, and it was awesome.

Haku didn't want to go there. Not where some of the other kids from school would be. He didn't want them to him shopping with Neji for women's clothing. Besides, Neji was already bullied enough for being openly gay, he really didn't need this to add to his problems.

But of course Haku had no say in their destination. Neji had the keys after all. And the wheel in his loose grasp. The tires were spinning towards the Mall and no amount of arguing was going to change that. Although he did try.

Why did he have such a stubborn best friend? Seriously.

"There's nice clothing at the FireBoat mall, and-"

"Don't bother. We're going to the Mall. We know the stores there like the back of our hands, we'll be in and out before you know it. This is about getting you what you want, and we're going to have fun doing it. Got it?"

"I suppose..."

Neji parked the Mercedes as far away as possible from the main entrance. It was noon on a saturday. Who knows what kind of driving mood the teenagers were in. His uncle had told him repeatedly that if he got one scratch on his baby he'd be castrated, and as he quite liked his body parts where they were...He'd keep the vehicle away from bad drivers.

"I still can't believe your uncle lets you drive his Mercedes."

"Neither can I."

Walking through the glass doors was like entering heaven. Or kind of. The lights shone brightly, making the sun outside look pitiful. It smelt like shopping and it sounded like cash being spent. Both the boys were immediately brought into a state of bliss. The Mall was practically their home. They spent so much time there. Even Haku had lost most of his nerves.

"Where to first?"

"Shoes."

"No."

"Can we look at the bunnies?"

Neji laughed, but shook his head, "Later! Let's get you some clothes first. Then shoes. Then we can look at the bunnies."

"Alright, but we can't leave without seeing the bunnies!"

"Come on. Let's go to rednotes. There's a lot of nice clothing there."

Haku followed his friend to the aforementioned store, and he hesitated at the entrance momentarily. Only until Neji took his sleeve and dragged him inside. Upon getting a good look at the clothes, he allowed his shyness to disappear. He was home, where he belonged. Among clothes. There was nothing better than looking at the different materials and patterns!

Neji clearly understood because the grin that broke out on his face was brighter than he usually allowed it to be. The store wasn't particularly busy, no special sales going on, but the few people there paid them no attention at all. They took several items off the shelves and racks and went to the changing rooms.

They were almost as giddy as children in a candy store being amongst all that clothing. Neji smiled as his friend exited the changing room in various outfits, of all lengths and colours and materials. They had definitely exceeded the limit of clothing allowed in the changing room, but the middle aged woman with two children who had opened the door for them had been an acquaintance of theirs for many years.

She passed by them several times while Haku twirled in whatever outfit he was currently in, and she stopped to smile and give her approval or advice. Haku didn't notice some of the glances he was receiving from the other clients, who were undoubtedly trying to figure out Haku's gender, and Neji didn't tell him. It would only revert his friend back to his shy state when he'd finally managed to get out of his shell.

"I think that shirt would look really good with the black and pink skirt you tried on earlier."

"I would recommend some flats with that ensemble. There's a sale at the spendless shoestore if you two are interested." The woman said, stopping near them with several articles in her arms.

"Definitely! Thank you, ma'am!" Haku thanked her and sent a smile to his friend, "I think we have what we needed to get."

Neji rolled his eyes, but nodded, "Let's pay for all this and then we can go get you some shoes."

Before he could blink the two were standing in front of the cash register with the items Haku had chosen to buy. The teen at the cash asked who had helped them, and Haku happily replied that they had gotten the expert advice of Miss Kurenai. As per usual.

The teenager at the cash wasn't somebody they were acquainted with, but they knew he went to a nearby high school. He was a member of one of the other high school's football teams. Football was a big deal in Konoha and even Haku and Neji, who hated the pointless sport, knew the players from the other schools.

He was...Somebody. A defence person or something.

Neji was just thankful that he scanned the items and told them the price without any hesitation or questions. Haku handed the credit card and entered the pin as quickly as anybody accustomed to spending money can. They took the bags and thanked the boy, who hardly spared them a second glance. Working to make money for college, the way of the teenage life. Even the jocks needed some cash.

They went to the shoestore and bought some flats, like Kurenai had suggested, as well as a pair of pumps and some summer sandals. Neji had to push his friend to the cash register once he'd found the shoes, knowing that he would continue to stare and gawk at the others until the mall closed. What's with people and shoes?

Another teenager served them at the cash. She was a student from the nearby college, her first year if Neji remembered correctly. Her name was Temari. He didn't know her that well, but she had graduated from their school the year before. Her little brother, Gaara, was somebody he got along well with. Gaara wasn't really friends with anybody, but Neji liked to consider the two of them good acquaintances.

Or, they could work together on projects without trying to kill one another.

Of course, that meant that Haku didn't get along with Gaara. The stoic teen thought Haku was too nice to be human, and Neji sometimes agreed with that point. Haku was unnaturally nice. And from the other side, Haku considered Gaara too mean.

Temari, unlike her littlest brother, wasn't particularly mean. She did have the same anti-social tendecies as both of her brother's, but she was able to make friends and to keep them with little difficulty.

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Even more than that."

"I'm glad to hear it." She smiled at them, ringing in their total. Haku paid and they took the new bags, thanking her. "Have a good day!" She called after them.

Once outside the store, Neji turned to his friend, "Let's go grab a bite to eat. Then we can go check out those bunnies of yours."

"Sounds great!"

* * *

><p>AN: Hello. Not exactly exciting or good, but I needed to fill up a gap. Next chapter will be better. I hope! Recognize the store names? Haha! I kinda hope not...<p>

I'd love to thank **EatEmUp, Reeserella,** and **AUehara**for reviewing! You guys are epically awesome!

Thank you for reading,  
>-MewMew<p> 


	4. Dumb, Dumber, and Dumbest

**Chapter 4 - Dumb, Dumber, and Dumbest**

"There's nothing better than a King of Dairy smoothie." Haku said, putting down his half-empty cup. The fruity contents were delicious and appealing to his sweet tooth. Neji on the other hand, prefered a bit of bitterness with some coffee, almost black. One shot of cream, one shot of sugar.

"I beg to differ."

"Beg as you will. Him Tortons got nothing on King of Dairy."

"Au contraire, mon ami-"

"Don't start with the french. Only you think french is sexy."

"I am _not _the only one."

"Besides, you only started getting interested in it when he showed up with that accent that makes you drool."

"Shut up." Neji muttered, taking a large sip of his coffee to hide his blush. "French accents are so much sexier than british accents. 'Bloody hell'. Really? That makes no sense."

"Says the guy who adores Alan Rickman. You're the one obsessed with accents. Not me."

"At least I have good taste! You're obsessed with that guy from 'A Walk to Remember' and he's not even that good-looking."

"Shane West? Please. You'd snatch him if you could. You love the badass type. Why else would you have your eyes on the hot-shot Uchiha with the drool-worthy french accent?"

Neji glared at his friend, but smiled after a moment, unable to pretend to be angry with him. Although Neji never said out loud that he had a thing for the Uchiha, Haku could see right through him. Sometimes it was frustrating, but that's what having a best friend was like.

"Itachi doesn't always have the accent. He knows how to speak normal english. I think he keeps the accent just to be a tease."

Haku grinned and took a swig of his smoothie, and suddenly his eyes locked onto something behind Neji, "Speaking of badasses. . . Or just assholes in general, here some come." Haku used his foot to push the bags with his newly purchased items under the table, attempting to make it seem natural. His eyes avoided looking at the teenage boys, but it was already too late.

They'd seen Haku looking at them, even if it had only been for a mere moment, and they began to approach the two seated boys. Neji rolled his eyes, but straightened up, knowing what was coming. Haku was sensitive, his kind heart and warm spirit making him crumble under negativity, and Neji knew that to protect him, he had to take the negativity onto himself.

That was usually the case, as the anger and insults were usually directed towards him, but sometimes they would make a jab or two at his friend, and he would protect him as best as he could. There were so few good people in the world. Haku was one of them. And Neji refused to let anything hurt him or change him.

Neji leant forward and whispered to him, "Which ones?"

"Hidan, Kakuzu, Kisame. Your frenchie's friends'."

"Ah. Those morons."

Haku stared down at his cup, trying to avoid the confrontation he knew was going to happen. He wondered why people had to hate. Of all the species of animals in the world, humans are the only ones that hate and shun. He wondered why people enjoyed to argue, to fight, to hurt. He never understood, but that was simply a matter of empathy. He was empathetic. He could feel the hurt even if he wasn't the one to hurt. The bullies didn't have that quality, clearly.

"Hello princess. Hello faggot."

"Hello dumb, dumber, and dumbest." Neji snapped back by reflex. He hated being called _that _word.

"Good afternoon, boys. How are you?" Haku asked, also through reflex. His need to be nice overpowering the fact that he didn't particularly like the people standing next to them.

"Fine and dandy until we saw you two. Must you bring your gayness to the Mall?" Hidan sneered at them, and Neji managed to keep calm with a lot of effort.

"I can bring my _gayness_ to the Mall as long as you can bring your stupidity."

"What'cha shopping for now, huh?" Kakuzu asked, touching one of the bags with the tip of his shoes. It was one of the SpendlessShoestore bags. "Spending daddy's money again, I see. Don't you think your daddy will get rid of you once he sees how much of his money you waste? I wouldn't keep a brat who owns more shoes than I've had in my lifetime."

Haku's eyes lowered, staring back at the cup of smoothie that he no longer had a taste for.

"What are you shopping for? You know, you have to go see the Wizard of Oz for a brain. Even then, I do believe you're a lost cause. Now, unless you want to keep wasting my time, go away. I can only look at so much flannel in one day, got it? Come bother us again when you look like you haven't just jumped out of a barn."

"As much as I don't want to catch the gay...Why don't you come with me to see the Wizard of Oz? Obviously you need to go home, because this is not where you belong. Go back where you came from faggot. Go to hell, where you people are destined to go." Hidan replied slowly, but harshly.

Neji stood up, but a hand on his wrist kept him from throwing a punch at the teen in front of him. Haku looked at him pleadingly, not wanting a fight to break out. Instead, Neji slowly took hold of his coffee cup. "Has anyone ever told you, Hidan, that caffeine is a great moisturizer?"

"Like I give a fuck about that stuff. I'm not a fag, remember?"

"You need to start 'giving a fuck' because you have got to work on your complexion. Let me give you a head start." In the blink of an eye he uncapped his coffee and used the liquids within the cup as a projectile. The coffee splashed on his face, droplets leaking down his cheeks, neck, and shirt, landing on the dirty Mall floor.

"Fuck!" Hidan wiped at the hot coffee with his sleeve, making an even bigger mess.

Neji grinned, containing his laughter, and Haku forced back some giggles. It was nice to see him get what he deserved, but he didn't truly believe that encouraging the hate was the right way to go.

"I don't think you understood me through all that grease in your hair, so I'll repeat it a second time. Go. Away."

Kisame laughed at his friend, and punched his shoulder in the way that men do to show their feelings for each other, "Come on. We told Itachi we'd meet him at Pages."

"Watch your back, faggot. You too, pansy."

Haku looked up in fright at the glare directed towards him, unsure why Hidan was upset with him. He hadn't done anything. Does anybody ever actually do anything to merit the anger?

"Why do you hate us?" Haku asked, earning himself strange looks from the bullies and his best friend.

"You're both an insult to the imagine of man."

"How can you say that when you don't even know what a man looks like?"

"Let's go, Hidan." Kisame intervened before the arguing could continue to escalade.

"You're right. I've been around enough gay for today. Wouldn't want to catch it."

Neji glared at his retreating figure, feeling proud of the trail of coffee droplets littering the floor. He wasn't always able to get even, and he loved it when the chance arose. Neji slowly sat back down and turned to look at his friend with an apologetic smile. He knew Haku hated conflict. But the fear on his friend's face was showing something beyond just the arguement. There was something else going on in his mind.

"I can't do this." He whispered, his eyes large and fearful. "They'd kill me."

"Haku, do what makes you happy. Not those idiots."

"They're right. I am an insult to man. Trying to be a girl would be like saying I'm ashamed of my gender. I can't. . .I can't make them be right."

"They won't be right. Haku, you're more of a man than they'll ever be. You have the guts to do something that some are too afraid to do. You're beginning the steps that I'm sure other boys and men, even girls and women, only wish they could take. Your courage is admirable."

"I. . ."

"You can teach braveheart a few things about courage."

"Is courage stupidity?"

"Sometimes." Haku stared at him, his fear still very present, but Neji smiled reassuringly, "But not always."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Being so awesome."

Neji laughed lightly, "Well, I do try." He stood up, grabbed both of their cups, and threw them out. When he returned, he began to collect some of the bags with Haku's help, "Time to go see those bunnies."

"The only thing better than looking at bunnies is looking at shoes."

"Or boys."

"You mean frenchmen."

"Whatever."

* * *

><p>AN: This chapter was very fun to write. Why is Itachi french? I don't know. Blame my brain. The Wizard of Oz references? Blame my brain. And Glee. Any questions? Ask moi! By the way! For the store names, I shall explain. My originality, so very prominent. Rednotes comes from Bluenotes (a clothing store). Spendless shoestore comes from payless (shoe store, obviously). King of Dairy, rip off of Dairy Queen. Pages goes with Chapters, a book store. And lastly, Him Tortons. Need I really explain?<p>

Thank you to **AUehara, Reeserella, **and **EatEmUp** for reviewing! Means so much!

Thank you for reading,  
>-MewMew<p> 


	5. Circle of Friends

**Chapter 5 - Circle of Friends**

"Want to go to Naruto's? It's game weekend, so Lee and Kiba will be there as well." Neji asked as they cruised down the road in no particular direction.

"Do you think I should get Snowflake a girlfriend? I think he's lonely in that cage of his."

"I'm going to take that as a yes..." Neji muttered to himself, "No, I don't think Snowflake needs a girlfriend. He isn't lonely 'cause you spend all your time with him, and I don't think your dad wants a bunch of little bunny babies."

"Of course he does..."

"He loves Snowflake as much as I love skinny jeans."

"It is a love-hate relationship, but it's more love than hate, and that means something!"

"Sure, sure." He pulled into the driveway and Haku stared at him oddly.

"Why are we at my place? I thought we were going to Naruto's."

"So you were listening to me...We'll bring your things inside, give your dad his card, and then you'll get changed."

"Okay, but I don't see what's wrong with what I'm wearing now." Haku said, both of them stepping out of the vehicle. They opened the backseat doors and grabbed the bags.

"What's the point of buying new clothes if you aren't going to wear it?"

"You mean you want me to wear this to go see the boys?"

"Of course."

"Oh, I don't know..." Haku trailed behind his friend as he entered the house, staring blankly down at the bags in his hands. "Hey, daddy!" He called out to his father.

"I'll bring these to your room." Neji said, and Haku nodded.

Haku left his friend and went to his father's workroom, where he would surely still be, hunched over his second baby. Zabuza greeted him, but didn't take his eyes off the weapon. He was doing some kind of design work on the hilt, and Haku knew not to disturb him too much. He avoided disturbing anybody who loved sharp objects, but mostly his father. Zabuza got a little grumpy when he was pulled away from his work for too long.

"Neji's here. Were going to put the things away. I wanted to know if I could go to Naruto's afterwards?"

"Alright. Don't be home too late."

"I won't. I'll put your credit card back in your wallet. Thank you so much daddy."

"Did you have fun?"

"Like always!"

"I'm glad."

"Daddy, do you think Snowflake needs a girlfriend?"

"No."

"Oh, well. I tried. Bye, daddy!"

"Bye, Haku."

He put the credit card where he'd said he'd put it, then went to join his friend in his bedroom. As soon as the door was opened, he let out a large sigh. Neji had placed all of his clothing on his bed in a scattered-organized disarray and was staring at the articles with an unreadable expression on his face. The expression that Haku had learnt meant that he was thinking hard about something.

"I can't decide between the pink and black skirt with the blouse, or the aqua belted dress."

"I like the-"

"The dress. Definitely."

"Dress..." Haku finished lamely, smiling sheepishly at his friend. Though their tastes differed on many different things, clothes was not one of them. It was a dress kind of day, and his nail polish was the perfect shade to go with it anyways. His new pumps went perfectly with the dress and he wasn't really in the mood to practice wearing the heels.

"Here, put it on." Neji threw the article at him. While Haku got changed, Neji worked on folding up the remaining clothes and left them in tidy piles on the bed. Although he made messes at times, he was always sure to clean up after himself.

Haku slipped on the dress and folded the clothes he'd been wearing before. He layed it on his bed then went to his full-length mirror. Twirling a couple times, he smiled brightly like a little girl who was wearing her favourite dress. Neji rolled his eyes, but was happy for him. There were few things he liked better than seeing such pure joy on his best friend's face.

"Put the pumps and then we can head out." Neji interrupted his musing, he didn't want to but it had to be done, and held out the shoes. "Still not going to let your hair out of that bun?"

"Never."

"That's what they all say..."

"I love my hair, but when I'm out and about I don't want it getting in the way." Haku said, slipping on the shoes.

"How can you love your hair if you never let it out of its bun?"

"Maybe you can do something with it at Naruto's, but not now. The wind outside would just knot it all up and I don't want to have to deal with that."

"There's hardly any wind, but whatever. Let's get out of here."

Neji and Haku left the house, calling out a farewell to Zabuza who's answer they didn't hear over the sound of the closing door. They went into the car and Neji put it in reverse, pulling out of the driveway. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his cellphone and handed it to Haku.

"Text Naruto to let him know we're coming."

"Will do."

The soft clicking of the keypad was drowned out by the radio as Neji upped the volume. He sang along to the catchy tune, grinning at his friend who rolled his eyes at him. Everybody had a guilty pleasure, and for Neji, it was singing. Haku's would be shoes. God, he loved shoes!

"He says, '_Kk. C u soon dudes_'." Haku read aloud the reply. He didn't text back, but kept the phone on his lap instead of giving it back to Neji. He prefered it when his friend had both hands on the wheel. He trusted Neji more than he trusted anybody else (except his father), but that didn't mean he was a perfect driver.

"What have I told you about using text talk on my phone?" Neji glared at him momentarily. Naruto would never, ever, call him 'dude', and thus knew it was Haku on the other end of the phone. The only way he would know that was if Haku had texted him in chat speak, which he was not fond of at all. He hated it, and didn't permit others to use chat speak when using his phone. Haku wasn't excempt from that rule, and he knew it.

"Not to? I know, it annoys you, but it was one tiny message! Sheesh..."

"Don't 'sheesh' me. You know the rules."

"Yes, Neji, dear. I solemnly swear that I won't use text talk on your phone any longer."

"That's what you said last week..." Neji muttered, his anger dissipating. He pulled up into the empty driveway and stopped the car. "I guess his parents went out somewhere. I hope they don't park behind me...I'll have to ask Naruto when they're coming back."

"Gosh, having a car is so much trouble, isn't it Neji, dear?"

"Get your ass out of this car." Neji said, not unkindly. Haku was used to him, so he wasn't offended.

They stepped out of the vehicle and went up to the front door. Neji knocked twice loudly before opening the door and walking inside. It was game weekend. None of them were going to get their butts off the sofa to answer the door. Neji was surprised that Naruto had replied to his text message that quickly. What the boys loved about video games he didn't know, although he did join in every once in a while and had a good time.

Instead of announcing their presence, they wouldn't be heard anyways, the two went immediately to the basement where the boys would be sitting down playing some shooting game they'd beat a hundred times already. ("You don't _beat_ Halo, you master it." Kiba had told him last time he'd made that comment.)

"Hey, guys." Neji said, taking the last step.

In the living room were the three boys, seated on the old brown sofa with remotes in their hands. Their eyes didn't leave the flat screen television, and the surround sound made the guns louder than necessary. Suddenly he noticed a fourth presence, one he wasn't very happy with.

"What's he doing here?" He was none too subtle about his unhappiness.

It's not that he didn't like Sasuke, he just...Didn't really like him. There was something arrogant and high-and-mighty about him that irked Neji. There was a reason he didn't make new friends easily...He was choosy.

"It is nice to see you as well, Hyuuga." Sasuke rolled his eyes, not turning to look at him.

"I thought it might be nice to have a fourth player, so I invited him." Naruto explained, "This is my place and he's my friend."

"Whatever, blondie."

"I would think you would be nice to me, Hyuuga, seeing as you are the one with the _kik_ on my brother."

"What the hell is a 'kik'?"

"When you like someone a lot...You call it a crush, I believe."

"I don't have a crush on anybody, Uchiha. And I don't pretend to like people when I don't." Neji snapped back. He turned around to see that Haku hadn't followed him. He sighed, and climbed up the stairs. "Are you coming?" He said to Haku, who was at the first step, wringing his hands nervously.

Neji held out his hand for his friend to take, and he slowly went down the steps to take hold of his hand. "You'll be fine." Neji whispered to him, and Haku nodded hesitantly.

They stepped into the living room, and Neji let go of his hand. He took a couple steps away and cleared his throat. None of them looked at him. He smiled lightly at Haku, standing there with his eyes on the ground, and he tried again with no success. Growing annoyed, he went to stand in front of the television, earning himself some protests.

"What are you doing?" Kiba exclaimed, pausing the game.

"I wanted to show you something." His tone told them there was more to it, and they didn't protest any more.

"What is it?" Lee asked patiently.

Neji raised a hand and gestured towards Haku. The four boys turned to look at him, and in that moment where they took in the new look, Neji remembered. He remembered the stress and nerves he had when he'd first come out to his friends, and knew that that's what Haku was feeling at that moment. He felt bad for him, but he also knew that he would wind up feeling great once he got their responses.

Their group was made up of the misfits of the school. They all knew what it was like to be different and utterly alone, and that made them strong and accepting. They would never shun another because they were different because that would make them hypocrites, and it would make them feel guilt in unimaginable quantities. That's another reason he didn't like Sasuke. He showed up at the school a month ago and he was already popular and loved by everyone. He didn't belong with them.

Lee smiled brightly and clapped his hands together, "You look beautiful, Haku!"

Kiba and Naruto stared for another second before grinning at the blushing brunette, "I like the new look." Naruto said, and Kiba nodded.

"Totally."

Sasuke looked confused, and Neji was worried about his reaction. He wasn't a part of them, and thus his beliefs were not the same as theirs. One negative comment outweighed all the good ones. He knew that from experience, and he knew that Haku would take it even worse.

"I t'ought you were a boy..." He stated bluntly.

"He is. He just wants to wear dresses, too. Got a problem, Uchiha?"

"I t'ought that only boy...Ehm... _Écossaises_ wore dresses. Well, skirts...Is it a custom 'ere, too?"

"'Écossaise'? I don't know what the hell you're talking about, Uchiha, but he's not that. It's not a custom per say, more like a personnal choice."

"Oh." It seemed to be the end of the conversation for him, and Neji was glad by the non-caring attitude. His being foreign and unused to their traditions and customs might not be such a bad thing.

"Can I still call you dude? Or is it dudette now?" Naruto asked.

"Whatever you prefer." Haku smiled brightly, the happiness shining in his eyes. He stopped fiddling with the belt on his dress and he appeared much more comfortable now that the initial introduction had been made. He'd known deep inside that they'd accept him, it was merely the monster called fear that had kept him from realizing it.

"With legs like that, I'd prefer using dudette." Kiba's comment made Haku laugh, which immediately lightened the mood.

"Did you want to play with us?" Lee asked.

"Sounds like a plan."

Lee and Kiba moved to sit on the ground, giving their seats to Haku and Neji. They sat and were handed the remotes of the two losers, and they spent the afternoon there, playing video games. Neji could feel his friend's happiness radiating off him, and he couldn't help but smile. In two days they'd go to school and he knew it would be rough for Haku. At least for the moment he could surround himself with people who accepted and loved him while he was still realizing that his dreams were coming true.

* * *

><p>AN: Hello! Sorry it's taken so long! I've been quite busy lately. We have met the boys! Definitions...A kik is a crush, as said. I don't know how to spell it, because it's not an actual word. It's just an expression. And écossaise is scottish. Sasuke was talking about how some scottish men wear kilts.<p>

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! By the way, about the french accent, do you like it written like that? Or should I just not attempt it? Another by the way, I got a question regarding Haku's sexuality. I shall explain...Haku's still in the stage of figuring out himself, so he doesn't really have a sexuality right now. If I had to say anything, it would be bisexual.

I'd love to thank **EatEmUp, animelover, AUehara, Akatsuki Crush, Reeserella, **and **Hanai-kun** for reviewing! It means so much to moi!

Thanks for reading!  
>-MewMew<p> 


	6. Mr and Mrs Uzumaki

**Chapter 6 - Mr. and Mrs. Uzumaki**

Seeing the black Mercedes in their driveway, Minato parked to the side, giving the vehicle plenty of space to back up when Neji wanted to leave. He and his wife, Kushina, grabbed the grocery's they had left to get and entered the house. As expected from game-weekend, they weren't greeted by their cheerful son, and they didn't see the faces of any of his friends, all of whom were undoubtedly there.

The sound of gunshots reached their ears, and they smiled to each other, but sighed quickly after. They were happy that their son had friends, but they were incredibly loud...They had agreed though that if Naruto had to be addicted to something, it was better that it was some video game instead of drugs.

"Should we bring down the chips Naruto wanted?" She asked offhandedly as she began putting away the food.

"Let him come get it. It might be our only chance to see him in the next twenty-four hours."

"True. Him and those stupid games..." She rolled her eyes, reaching on her tiptoes to put the newly acquired bag of flour on the top shelf of the pantry. Minato stepped behind her, took the flour, and put it on the shelf for her, kissing her hair to hide his smirk. As independant as she was, it was nice to know that he was needed some of the time. Even if all he was needed for was putting things in high places.

"I like those stupid games." He muttered, mock offended.

"You're as bad as the children." She said, not unkindly, and turned to kiss him on the lips.

"Ew..." They parted as their son expressed his aversion to their 'public' kissing. Anywhere where people could see them was considered public to Naruto, even when there was nobody there to see.

"Hey baby, how's the game coming along?" Kushina asked.

"I died." He muttered bitterly, but his bright smile immediately returned, "Haku blew me up with the grenade launcher. Why is it that the one in a dress kicks our asses? Oh, mom, did you get the chips?"

"Yes, sweety, they're in the cabinet."

"Can we backpedal for a second?" Minato said with his finger in the air, clearly thinking about something, "The one in a dress? Like, a real dress or are you referring to his...femininity?"

Naruto grabbed the bag of chips and emptied it into two large bowls, "A warning. Haku's a girl now. Or, I think so. I don't really get it, but he's in a dress so..." He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. He left the empty chip bag on the counter and began to make his way out of the room, "I'm off to avenge my being blown up, so..." He let the sentence hang, waiting for them to say something.

"Have fun, honey." Was all Kushina said, and Naruto returned to the basement to join his friends and hopefully avenge himself...

"I don't get it."

"It's okay. You don't have to." She kissed him to shush him, then she beamed at him, "Now, let's go watch Glee!"

"But we watched that last night..."

Kushina dragged her husband to the living room to watch one of her favourite television shows, the show hardly drowning out the sounds coming from the basement, but it didn't have to. She'd seen the episode several times already, and she knew that the noise wouldn't be quieting down until the late hours of the night, or early hours of the morning, so there was no point watching anything that would take too much concentration.

She and Minato went to bed at around eleven o'clock that night, and they'd seen none of the boys. There was a washroom in the basement, and thus they had already suspected as much. With food, a toilet, and a floor to sleep on, they weren't coming out of there for quite some time still.

"Did you _see_ that?" Naruto exclaimed, "Your dude fell down like ten stories!"

"Sorry, I missed it. I was too busy falling down ten stories." Neji replied sarcastically, waiting for his character to respawn. "After this round we should get going. We were both supposed to be home by now."

"But we're getting to the good part!" Kiba protested, "Why don't you spend the night?"

"I...You work at noon tomorrow, right?" Neji asked his friend, who nodded, not taking his eyes off the television.

"I can text my dad to let him know I'm staying here, and you can let Hinata know you're not coming home."

"I suppose. Lee, take my phone and text Haku's dad and Hinata to let them know we're staying over at Naruto's. If you use chat speak, I will beat you over the head with this controller. Got it?"

"Do not worry, Neji. I will not fail you!" Lee took the cellphone he held out to him.

Neji and Haku were teamming up against Kiba and Naruto, while Lee and Sasuke watched, having lost the last match. They weren't as good as the other boys, but they held their own. With the help of lady luck. And rocket launchers.

Both received 'okay's to remain, and so they continued to play the game until the early hours of the morning. As they were the only two working the next day, Neji and Haku crashed in Naruto's room sometime around four in the morning, and Sasuke drifted in and out of sleep from his spot on the sofa, but the other three remained attentive to their game, no signs of exhaustion appearing on their always hyper forms.

Minato and Kushina woke up around eight o'clock, the former went to prepare the coffee while the latter got dressed. As he turned on the coffee maker, Minato sighed upon still hearing the sounds of guns being shot and things being blowing up coming from the basement. To save his son from his mother's anger, she would be upset to know he hadn't slept, he went downstairs to send him off to bed.

"But dad! We're just about to beat our high score!" Naruto whined, shooting the head off somebody's shoulders. Minato was tempted to compliment him on his good shot, but witheld himself. Kushina, he kept telling himself, would skin him alive if he got sidetracked.

"I'm sorry, Naruto, but it's eight o'clock in the morning and none of you have gotten any sleep. You have school tomorrow."

"Can we at least finish this level?"

"I suppose, but...You're mom's gonna be getting her coffee any minute now and she won't be happy if she hears this." He said, gesturing to the video game.

"We'll lower the volume." Naruto took the remote and lowered the volume, "See?"

Minato sighed, "Continue to play if you want. But if your mother gets upset I'm not going to take your side."

"Like you ever do..." Naruto muttered, sending a quick grin to his father who ignored both the look and the words, "Thanks, dad."

"No problem, kiddo." Doing a quick head count, he realized the absence of two of the kids, "Where are Neji and Haku?"

"My room. Sleeping. They're both working tomorrow. I mean, today."

"Oh, alright. Be good."

Minato returned upstairs to get his coffee and greet his wife, who glared at the door leading to the basement momentarily. He could tell that she was debating going down to check on the boys, but he distracted her with a kiss and the mention of needing new work shoes. Being the town mayor, as much as he loved it, was also an exhausting job. Merely the idea of always having to appear well groomed was tiresome enough on its own, but thankfully, he had Kushina as his chief of staff.

Without her he'd be lost in so many ways. There were times when she was a little...much for him to handle, but he did, and he was glad. When people questionned if there was such a thing as soul mates, or true love, or a future in teen romance, he just looked at his wife and smiled. Sure, such a true love was difficult to find, but he knew there was no such thing as impossible. Especially when it came to love.

* * *

><p>AN: Hello peoples! It's been a little while. I was in a good mood so I decided to write a chapter to this, (this story is my good-mood-story), and tadah! I hope you liked it! Glee is my favourite television show, which is why I mentioned it and I believe that's all I wanted to clarify on so...<p>

I'd like to thank **AUehara, EatEmUp,** and **Reeserella** for reviewing the last chapter! It truly means a lot!

Thank you for reading,  
>-MewMew<p> 


	7. At a loss, Boss

**Chapter 7 - At a loss, Boss**

Haku had slipped on some of Naruto's pyjamas to sleep, and changed back into his dress when he and Neji left later that morning. He was working at noon, and Neji at three. When they got to his place, of course, his best friend tagged along. They explained briefly to Zabuza how the prior night they had gotten sidetracked by video games and that was why Haku hadn't come home, and then they went to his room.

The two worked in the same building, but in two different areas. Haku was a waiter at the small café and Neji was a cashier at the bookstore attached to it. For students with limited job possibilities, they both found that they enjoyed their jobs. As much as they could anyhow.

The café, part bookstore, was near Neji's house, and thus he had agreed to drive Haku there on his way home.

It was with -concealed- pride that he watched Haku enter the small café in one of his new outfits. But fear was there too. That was the only place he couldn't be there for him every step of the way. It was true that he looked great in the black pencil skirt and white blouse ensemble, but not everyone would think so. Haku was beginning to get confident in himself, he really didn't need anything to pull him back under.

But in three hours he would be starting work himself and he'd be able to see how his friend was doing. With that thought, he drove off, leaving his friend to fend for his own.

Haku punched in and stepped behind the counter to speak with Tayuya, the other waitress.

Tayuya was a drop-out college student trying to become a musician, while paying her way through life with the tips she earned as a waitress. Haku wouldn't call her a bad waitress, he just felt that she didn't really...Like her job. Or people.

"So, you gone tranny now?" She asked, popping her gum loudly, earning a couple glances from the clients sitting at the counter stools. She ignored them.

"T-tranny?" He repeated, uncertain of the meaning of the term, but knowing it was supposed to be offensive, although it didn't really feel offensive. He put his apron on and placed his pen and pad in the front pouch.

"Transvestire. Transgendered. Whatever the hell you wanna call it. I'm talking about the skirt, dumbass." The name, also supposedly offensive, didn't effect him. He'd grown used to Tayuya and her insulting nicknames. "Nice legs, by the way."

Haku blushed, patting down the apron self-consciously, "Thank you." He smiled at her, and she smirked back, the most affection she was going to show.

"I'm going for a smoke. Watch these guys," She pointed to the three clients on the stools at the counter, they seemed offended but she ignored it, and then pointed to the couple taking up the only occupied table, "They're good. They might want more coffee though. The chick's been giving me the eye for a while."

"Alright."

She stepped out from behind the counter, but stopped, "Also, the boss is here. He's in his office. So be good!"

Haku watched her make her way to the kitchen, where her purse (and cigarettes) were. He turned to the three men, "Is everything alright here?"

"I would like my order to be taken, if you know, there's one competent waitress here." One of them said with a roll of his eyes.

"Oh, of course!" Haku hastily pulled out his pen and pad, "What would you like to order?"

Quickly he jotted down the orders of the three men and went to put them in the computer, sending the order to the kitchen. He prepared the coffees and gave them to the men, who thanked him.

"About time somebody does something around here."

Haku just smiled, not liking them insulting Tayuya's skills, but knowing that it was kind of true. He grabbed the coffee pot and went to the couple at the table Tayuya had mentioned wanted coffee.

"Hello, would either of you two like some more coffee?" He asked politely, holding up the pot.

"Yes." The lady snapped, putting her empty mug at the edge of the table, and he began to refill both mugs. "I hope that woman is going to get fired. She's a terrible waitress."

The woman glared when he said nothing, having nothing to say, "Well? Is she going to get fired?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I have no control over these sort of things. Did you need anything else?"

"No, we're good now that we have coffee."

Haku nodded and returned to his spot behind the counter. He grabbed the men's food and handed it to them. A part of him wondered how long it took to smoke a cigarette, but he knew better than to go and see. Tayuya would get angry, plus he didn't really need the help. His confidence in his waitering abilities was minimal, but even he knew he could handle a couple of tables.

It took several minutes before his boss finally exited his office, but Haku was glad to see him. He wasn't particularly fond of his boss, but he found that Gato was able to run the place well and that he knew what he was doing. He allowed a couple mistakes and was willing to hire teenagers with zero experience. For Haku, getting a job had meant a new step into adulthood, and he was grateful to Gato for giving him the chance to prove that although he was sixteen, he was able to work for his pay.

"Good afternoon, sir!" Haku greeted him, his smile honest and sincere.

"Hello, Haku. How's business?"

"Oh, it's going well, sir."

"And how about Tayuya? She still threatening clients?"

"No, sir. She stopped doing that after her last warning. She's doing a lot better now, I promise."

"Good, good."

Gato walked past him, towards the cash register. He began going through the papers, checking the numbers from the past couple of days. Haku didn't speak to him while he was so concentrated, and resumed his task of taking care of his clients. A new couple had walked in, and he brought them the menu, introducing himself as their waiter.

Returning to the coffee machine, he began a new batch, and started cleaning the counters. Something that Tayuya usually left for him to do. Again he began to wonder if she was ever going to return when she finally did. She glared at Gato, his back to her, before turning to Haku.

"When did the cat drag him out of his office?"

"He's going over the reports, that's all."

Tayuya didn't like Gato, clearly. And he wasn't really a fan of her's either. They were both far too outspoken to get along, and Haku wondered how she always managed to convince him to let her keep her job.

"The old man's got it in for me today, just wait. He'll start tearing me up a new one the second he's done with those papers."

Haku wasn't sure if he believed her, but her statement was proven true when he finished what he was doing and stepped towards her, a reprimand already on his lips.

"Tayuya, I've gotten another complaint about your waitressing skills. One of them being about the smell of smoke you carry around with you. What did I tell you about getting rid of that smell before coming back inside?"

"I forgot my perfume and mouthwash at home that one time. I have it now. Smell."

Gato scrunched his nose as she breathed into his face. His hand waved away the smell of cigarette coated by mint, "I suppose that's the best I'm going to get from you. Have you started smoking, Haku?"

"No, sir. It's not really something that interests me. Excuse me, sir, the couple over there needs a refill. I'll be right back." Haku said, going over to serve his clients. Once done, the look on his boss's face made him hesitant to walk back to him, but he did. If Tayuya had said something insulting in the minute that he'd been gone, he didn't think he'd be able to fix it this time.

"Haku." The tone made him rethink that. Had he been the one to say something he shouldn't have? He couldn't recall doing anything bad, but Gato tended to zero in on the littlest things, "What are you wearing?"

"Sir, the regulations state that the waiters must have a black bottom, a white top, and the apron. Hair must be tied and shoes must be clean. I do believe I'm following the rules, sir." His eyes scanned his own attire. He'd been working there long enough to know the uniform, and he always made sure to follow it down to the last line.

"I know what the regulations say, Haku. But you're not wearing the gender-appropriate uniform."

"Oh..." He looked down at himself again. Having been surrounded by his friends for so many hours, he'd forgotten that him wearing women's clothing was actually not normal.

"Are you all _trying_ to piss me off today?" Gato snapped, sending Tayuya a glare. So she had said something insulting to him...Haku hadn't been so far off after all.

"Sir, this is my...new uniform. This is what I want to wear now. It still follows all the rules, it's just more...me." He finished lamely, staring timidly at his flats.

"I don't care what you want. I'm running a business here, not a gay bar or whatever. Whatever statement you're trying to make, I don't wanna hear it. You can go home, change uniform, and come back."

"I'm sorry, sir, but I can't do that."

"What do you mean you can't?"

"Let the poor kid wear what he wants to wear." Tayuya piped in.

"This is a respectful café and I will not have his obvious confusion ruin our image!"

"Sir, I've served several clients already and none of them seem to care. As long as they get their coffee they're alright."

"Just because they don't disapprove out loud doesn't mean they don't disapprove. The clients are the future of the enterprise. Without them, business' get nowhere. If they walk out of here thinking that being served by a male waiter in a skirt was not something they want to repeat, they won't come here again. Haku, leave. Either get changed and come back, or don't come back at all."

"Sir, just because you're a scared little man doesn't mean everyone else is!" Haku didn't know where the words came from, but he assumed that all those years spent listening to Neji fire off insults finally influenced him, "My being in a skirt doesn't change my capabilities as a waiter. What I wear isn't going to change anything! You're ignorance and intolerance is repungnant, and if that's how you think, then maybe I shouldn't be working for you at all."

"Haku, I know you're confused right now, but bringing this sort of thing to the work place is...It's not acceptable. This is the kind of thing you keep a secret between you and your bedroom. Showing yourself like this to the world...Do you really want to be a freak? Forever ridiculed and outcasted?"

"I am not confused, nor do I feel the need to keep who I am a secret. If I want to wear a skirt, I damn well will! You have no say in the matter."

"I have no say? I'm your boss, Haku! I have all the say in what you wear here in my café."

"Good thing you aren't my boss anymore."

"Are you quitting?"

"Yes, sir, I am. I refuse to work for someone who doesn't believe that people ought to be themselves."

"Ditto for me, asshat."

"What?" Both Gato and Haku turned to look at the redhead, who smirked.

"I like more girly boy over here than you bossman. I've been meaning to quit for a while now so, whatever. Need a ride home, lady face?"

"Tayuya, that's really sweet of you, but you don't have to do this. You need this job-"

"I'm not sweet, and I ain't doing this for you. I've been doing this gig down at the bar on Main for a while now, so I don't need this job anymore. So get your crap and let's go." Tayuya removed her apron and handed it over to Gato, who took it silently, "You try being a waitress, bossman. It isn't as easy as you think."

Haku got his things, knowing it was better to do what she ordered than to disobey. She got her purse and coat, Gato not saying a word. He watched his two employees leave in disbelief. Before he knew it, the rundown jeep was leaving the café parking lot for good.

* * *

><p>AN: Hello. Here's the newest chapter. I don't think there's anything to explain so...<p>

I'd like to thank **AUehara **and** AkatsukiCrush** for reviewing the last chapter! It really means a lot!

Thank you for reading,  
>-MewMew<p> 


	8. Gay Batman

**Chapter 8 - Gay Batman**

"As soon as Tayuya dropped me off at home I called Neji to let him know what happened, right? And of course he overeacts like he always does. I hardly had time to finish my story before he hangs up on me. I'm freaking out 'cause I have no idea what he's up to, but he calls me back half-an-hour later. Apparently he went to work, yelled at Gato, then quit. That's all he'll tell me about it."

"Because that's all you need to know."

By request, Neji had decided to pick his friends up before heading to school, on the way Haku explained to them all that had happened the night before.

He picked up the other three boys at Naruto's place, it being in the middle of the three homes. Lee lived with his foster parents in the apartment complex on the corner of Naruto's street, and Kiba lived with his mother, sister, and dogs in their family home two streets away. It was a common arrangement between all of them that when Neji drove to school he'd stop by Haku's and then Naruto's on his way. It wasn't a detour, and it made the car ride more entertaining.

"Neji, you're like a gay batman. Always saving the damsels in distress."

"I am offended by that statement." Neji said calmly, getting into the next lane.

"How about superman? He's way cooler than batman." Kiba said, earning himself a glare from his blond friend.

"No way! Batman is the best! He's epic because he doesn't need superpowers to be badass!"

"Superman can fly. That beats any arguement."

"Yeah? Well, batman has the batmobile. So there ya go. I win."

"Boys," Neji interrupted, "Will you stop this nonsense? This is worse than your stupid ninjas versus pirates debate, and that's saying something." Especially since the two boys had gotten so into that debate that they'd made an actual poll, getting the students to vote for their favourite. A teacher had stopped them, though, before they were able to get a final score.

"Superman."

"Batman."

They refrained from continuing to make their points because they were able to feel the irritation radiating off their friend.

Haku turned in his seat to face them, "How about this. Both of them are pretty awesome. Can we agree on that?"

Naruto and Kiba shared a grin, "Truce." They agreed, and Lee smiled happily at both of them. Neji always had him sit in the center to separate the two boys, and when they got into debates of the sort he hated being stuck in the middle. They usually asked for his opinion and he never knew what to say.

"Anyways, I'm glad I didn't bring my resume there. The guy sounds like a ass." Kiba commented.

"That's an astute observation, Kiba. Any more wisdom to share with us?" Neji replied sarcastically.

"He lost three employees in one day, I'm hoping that'll make him realize that things need to change." Haku said, pretending Neji hadn't spoken. They were used to the sarcasm and knew better than to acknowledge it.

"I would certainly hope so! If not, his opinion isn't the one you should be listening to." Lee said.

"Exactly! The only opinion that matters is ours."

"And we think you look great, so fuck him." Naruto emphasized on Kiba's point.

"Well, thank you boys. It means a lot."

"Oi, Kiba. What's our first class?" Naruto asked his friend as they entered the student parking lot, Neji strolling along looking for a parking space.

Naruto and Kiba shared all of their classes together and three of their four classes with Lee. Lee had prefered drama over music. The three boys were in the average level classes, not due to lack of smarts. Naruto was intelligent, but his attention deficit disorder caused difficulties for him when it came time to take the tests and exams. Same went for Lee with his dyslexia. They both had the motivation, but high level classes would require more focus than they were able to give.

Kiba was simply unmotivated. He would move the mountains and the oceans if it meant saving an endangered species or making cars eco-friendly. But give him a simple math equation and he'd zone out immediately. There was nobody more environment-friendly in the entire school, and Kiba was proud of it, even if it did get him a couple 'tree-hugger' comments.

Haku and Neji had all their classes together as well, but they were in the highest level classes they could get. They were a very intelligent group of boys, it was simply that they all defined intelligence in different ways. Academically, socially, environmentally, technologically. They were all proud of what they did know and never put themselves down for not knowing something another person did.

They could accept their differences and that's what made it easy for them to get through the harshness of high school, unlike others. They were victims of bullying and insults and rude comments, but they knew a future was waiting for them, and they could wait.

It was simply a matter of time.

"English." Kiba replied.

"Awesome."

Neji parked the car and they all exited the vehicle. They grabbed their bags and headed into the school, ready for a new week after a nice weekend.

Haku patted down his skirt and walked into the school with his head held high.

* * *

><p>AN: I have no clue where gay batman came from. Don't ask. Another filler chapter, super short one at that. Next one will be the school day! I hope you liked the chapter!<p>

I'd like to thank **AUehara, EatEmUp,** and **AkatsukiCrush** for reviewing! It really means a lot!

Thank you for reading,  
>-MewMew<p> 


	9. Book Reports are a Gift

**Chapter 9 - Book Reports are a Gift**

It was a big school. Known for being big in the arts and for having a high number of graduates every year. Clubs, tutoring, after school programs, plays, festivities. Their school did its best to get the students involved, knowing that the best way for them to get anywhere was if they started getting somewhere during high school.

It went from ninth to twelth grade, a total of over a thousand students. It was the biggest high school in the village, and of course, there were cliques of all kinds of statures and self-proclaimed importance. The whispers and rumours always ran wild, even moreso upon arriving at school on monday mornings.

What happened this weekend? This person did this, and that, and blah,blah,blah.

It was funny how some people actually cared about such things.

All Naruto and Kiba knew was that they'd beaten their old high score in Halo. Because game weekends are the best weekends.

All Lee knew was that he'd learnt all his lines perfectly for their latest play, the Wizard of Oz, and he was going to make one awesome scarecrow.

All Neji and Haku knew was that they looked fabulous. And had no jobs. And were finally becoming good at Halo.

It had been a pretty eventful weekend.

The looks that they received they ignored, used to it. But that morning there were more looks, more stares, more whispers around them. They all knew why, but none of them commented on it. They went their own ways to put their things away before quickly meeting up at Lee's locker, the best place to stand and talk without getting shoved around.

"We have our math quiz tomorrow, right?" Haku asked his best friend, who nodded.

Kiba stuck out his tongue in disgust, "Man, math sucks. If I could erase one thing off the planet, it would be math."

"I'd get rid of hair gel." Neji commented dryly.

Kiba ran a hand through his hair and smirked at him, "It's sexy and you know it."

"You don't wear hair gel anymore." Lee pointed out.

"I used to."

"Fail." Naruto grinned, then his eyes turned away from them. He waved to someone in the crowd of students, "Hey, Sasuke! Over here!"

"Is he going to be here a lot?" Neji pointed to Sasuke, who had joined them when he'd been spoken to, and he seemed unoffended, "Because I don't know if I want to be your friend anymore if he will be."

"Come on, Neji! Don't be like that. He's new and you know it sucks having no friends. I like him, and he kicks ass at Halo."

"You know, I am right 'ere, right?" Sasuke said, interrupting Neji's response.

"Yes, yes, you're here. We know."

"Neji, will you please try to be nice?" Naruto persisted, making Neji roll his eyes.

"Fine." He turned to Sasuke, "But if you say one thing that I find remotely insulting to me or my friends, you'll wish you'd never been born. Got that?"

_"Je ne prends pas d'ordre_. Do not tell me what to do."

"Am I interrupting a lovers' quarrel?" A condescending voice that they all knew asked, and Neji's glare went from Sasuke, to Hidan.

"Hey, asshole. What are you still doing here? I was sure you'd have flunked out by now." Kiba said before Neji could say something. He stepped in front of him, knowing that with Neji, getting him riled up now would lead to violence. Detention was not a good way to start the week.

"The fuck?" Hidan's eyes trailed over Haku's outfit, the boy in question looked down at the floor, attempting to avoid the mocking gaze.

"Beat it, jerk." Naruto stepped next to his friend.

"You should get better friends before they turn you into one of them." Hidan said to Sasuke, who kept his mouth shut, then stared at Haku again, "You know, I always knew you were fucking weird. But this is just fucked up. Really fucking queer of you. Kinda gross actually. A skirt? Got any pride left in that rainbow brain of yours?"

Kiba had stepped in front of Neji to keep him from getting violent, but he soon found himself being restrained by the brunette instead.

"He isn't worth the effort, Kiba."

"Oi, hippie, aren't you supposed to be preaching about love and crap? Or did you forget to take your 'inspiration' this morning?"

It took Lee's help to keep Kiba from launching at Hidan, fists first. Somehow, they managed.

Haku slowly raised his head, and spoke up tentatively, "May I say something?"

"Don't wanna hear it tranny."

This time when Haku heard the term he felt insulted, knowing it was meant to be taken that way. Unusual of him, he stepped forward, "Too bad. You'll hear what I have to say anyways." His friends stared at the strange behaviour, "I may be wearing a skirt and some flats, but I am still fully capable of kicking you were it'll hurt. Plus, I've got four friends here more than willing to kick your ass. So, like my friend here said, beat it. Jerk."

"You fucking little fa-"

"Good morning, Mr. Hatake!" Haku said over his shoulder.

Hidan whirled around to see the laid-back teacher walking towards them, and he shot Haku a nasty glare.

"Good morning, Haku. Hidan, you have a book report to hand in, don't you?"

"Oh, yeah, it's um, in my locker..." Hidan ran off before Kakashi could ask to have it handed to him right then and there.

The teacher smiled at the group of boys, and then headed off to his first class. They all simultaneously turned to Haku, queries about where his newfound courage had come from flying from their lips.

"I knew Mr. Hatake was coming so I figured it wouldn't hurt, and well...I see you guys do these things eveyday and I guess it was just my turn. Thank you guys, by the way. For defending me."

"It's our job to protect damsels in distress! Neji can't always have all the fun!" Naruto grinned.

"Like a wise man once said, 'a wolf is nothing without its pack'." Lee quoted, his bright smile contagious.

Kiba looked at him, confused, "Hey, didn't I say that?"

"You did indeed, my friend."

"Oh. Well, awesome! You should call me a wise man in front of my sister. Maybe she'll get off my case about failing math...Hey, where's Sasuke?"

"I don't know..." Naruto muttered, looking around, "Guess he had somewhere else to be."

"Right..." Neji muttered, but didn't comment any further.

"My sis told me yesterday about this strike going down at the construction site near the forest in a few days. They plan on cutting down the trees and we're going to try and stop it. You up for it?"

"We'd love to! I mean, I can go." Lee rephrased. He'd been constantly told to stop speaking for everyone, even though he was usually right on his asumptions.

"I would say that I'm working, but since that's not really an excuse anymore...I guess I'm going." Neji said, pretending that he didn't want to go. They always went to these things for Kiba, and they figured that if they believed in what they were fighting for, why not make a stand about it?

"I'm going."

"I'm gonna go! I'll talk to my dad, see if he knew about it. I doubt he'd give his okay to do that." Naruto said. His father, as mayor, had a say in some matters, but not all. Minato's charm though, was useful when he was attempting to stop one of the government's ideas, making his attempts work most of the time. What he wanted usually happened.

"Awesome! So, Lee, when's opening night?"

"We don't have a date picked yet, but it shouldn't be long now."

They continued to talk until there was a minute left until class. Lee, Kiba, and Naruto went off to english, talking about the book none of them had yet to read completely. Neji and Haku went off to ancient history, and readied themselves for a boring lesson while ignoring the looks they received. A couple people were brave enough to ask about the clothes, and Haku answered them all politely and as best as he could. They simply looked at him oddly then went to their seats.

After class there was a short break before their second class of the day. They all met up again at Lee's locker, but were luckily left alone. For lunch though, instead of meeting at Lee's locker, they'd all decided to meet at the cafeteria instead.

The cafeteria was large, having to be to fit all of the students. Their group of five have had the same table for their three years of high school, never once having to fight for it. It was their table that'd they'd claimed, their names having faded from the several times they'd written or drawn on the wooden surface, but the memories remaining to keep it untouched from others.

Not like anyone else dared sit in the 'loser' corner, as those others had come to call it. Sometimes they had a new addition for a couple days, before those people realized they could do better and went elsewhere. That's why they had accepted Naruto's request the prior week to have Sasuke sit with them when he first moved to their school.

But they were surprised to find the kid sitting with them on monday. They'd all, except for Naruto, expected him to have found other people to spend time with. Surely he would have little difficult getting in with the more popular kids, seeing how much they'd all taken a liking to him. Well, the girls anyways.

Especially the way he'd left earlier that morning, they had all thought it would be the last of him. But apparently he'd seen 'Miz. Kurenai' and had needed to ask her a question about the _'projet'_. Neji had wanted to object, and he could tell that Kiba was thinking along the same lines as he was, but their three friends were too kind to think badly of the newcomer.

Neji hushed when Naruto gave him the 'look' (the one he'd taught him, he thought unfairly), and Kiba didn't come to his aid, but he was thankful to know someone was on his side. Not everyone was blinded by Sasuke's so-called charm. Acting like a douche wasn't what Neji considered charming, but what could he do?

"I dunno 'bout you guys, but this semester is gonna be awesome." Naruto mumbled around his mouth full of sandwich.

"So, you've finally made your decision after three whole weeks? Took you long enough." Kiba said. They'd all pretty much decided wether they liked their new semesters or not, and Naruto was the only one of them who kept changing his mind.

"Unlike you, I don't decide if I'm gonna like my classes before school even starts. I don't judge a book by its cover."

"Like you've ever read a book." Neji scoffed, earning himself a pout from his blonde companion.

"I so have!"

"The walkthrough book for _Oblivion _doesn't count."

"Oh..." Naruto looked thoughtful after Neji's comment, and suddenly he brightened, "I read _The Outsiders_ last year!"

"That was a good one." Haku said thoughtfully, breaking their arguement.

"What is _T'e Outsiders_?" Sasuke asked.

"A book." Neji couldn't help but add 'dumbass' to that thought, but didn't voice it.

Sasuke glared at him, "I know t'at! But what does it speak of?"

"It's about this dude called Ponyboy, yeah, that's his real name. And how he's like a gangster and he gets in fights and stuff."

"Ponyboy wasn't a gangster, Naruto." Lee corrected him, and took the job of giving Sasuke a brief summary, "It's about Ponyboy, his life, and his family and friends. He lives on the poorer side of town with his two brothers, and they're part of a group called the Greasers. They do get in fights with the richer kids who are called the Socs, but that's not really what the story is about." Lee stopped when a hand landed on Sasuke's shoulder, taking the boy's attention away from him.

"Sasuke."

All of them stared at Itachi, who had never come to their table before. They knew that the two brothers were close, but as Itachi's new friends didn't like them much, they hardly gave him the chance to speak to his little brother, let alone be near his friends or their table. But somehow Itachi had gotten away, because there he was.

"_Ouin? Qu'est-ce qui ce passe?_"

"_M'man ma envoyée un message pour me dire qu'elle et notre père veulent que tu aies direct à maison se soir. Ils veulent discuter tes choix de collèges et universités avec toi. Ils ne sont pas trops...Impressionés._"

"_Ce n'est pas de leur affaire ce que je fais de ma vie._"

"_Je te donne le message, c'est tout. Si tu veux je pourrai être la pour t'aider, Notre père serait peut être moin dûre sur toi si..._" Itachi let the phrase hang, and the group just stared at him, not understanding the conversation.

Itachi, as per usual, was calm, but Sasuke was seemingly frustrated. Whatever his brother was saying certainly wasn't something pleasant.

"_J'ai pas besoin de ton aide!_"

"_Sasuke, j'essaie juste de t'aider. C'est tout._"

The youngest sighed, "_Je sais. Je m'excuse. Mais vraiment, je m'en foue ce qu'ils pensent. Si ils veulent me chialer, laisse-les._" That appeared to be the end of their conversation, because Sasuke turned away from him and back towards their group.

But Itachi didn't leave, instead he looked towards Sasuke's friends and gave a polite smile, "I apologize. I know speaking french around those who do not understand it is rude, but it was a message I had to pass on without translating it wrong." The accent was thicker than it usually was, but none of them seemed to notice.

"Oh, it's fine. You guys are new to the whole, speaking english thing. We don't expect you to be awesome at it." Naruto said with a shrug, taking another huge bite of his sandiwich.

All he knew, like the rest of the student body, was that the two boys had been born in a Japanese town, somewhat like Konoha but not, and then they had moved to a french-speaking village when they were still little. Their first language was Japanese, but it had been forgotten over time as they, and their parents, learnt french. Now in an english speaking town, they were forced to learn that language as well.

It was quite a change, but over the course of the summer the two boys had gotten english lessons to help them be prepared for their new school when they showed up two weeks into the school year. They'd learnt fast, but of course they still had difficulty at times. Luckily enough, people seemed to like their french accents and found their being foreign intriguing.

"Thank you for understanding. I know Neji, but unfortunately I do not know the rest of your names. I am Itachi, it is nice to meet you."

Neji stared down at his food, happy that he'd been recognized, but too shy (he'd deny it) to meet his gaze. They'd spoken twice, the first time Itachi had asked for directions to the office and the second time he'd thanked Neji for the directions and they'd exchanged names. Neji had known before Itachi had even spoken that those eyes would always make him melt, and he didn't like it. He didn't like getting crushes, unlike others, but unfortunately he couldn't avoid being flattered by the recognition.

"I'm Naruto."

"Kiba."

"My name's Haku."

"I am Lee! And it is also very nice to meet you."

"_Tu devrais partir avant que tes amis viens te chercher."_

"_D'accord. Salut._" Itachi said goodbye to them and walked away, not hearing Sasuke's mutter of '_des vrais chiens salles'_.

None of them knew what it meant, but it seemed insulting and they were okay with that. If he didn't like Itachi's friends, it gave them all at least one thing in common.

"What did he say?" Naruto asked.

"Not'ing important." Sasuke replied automatically, but when Naruto merely continued to stare at him, he could only sigh and acquiese to the demand, "My parents want me 'ome right after school."

"Why?" Neji rolled his eyes at his friend's question, knowing that Sasuke didn't want to answer. But the blonde was persistent (and annoying) and wouldn't give up until an answer was given to him.

"T'ey do not agree wit' the colleges I want to apply to."

"Where do you want apply?"

"My parents want me to join the police force, like my Pa. It is a family tradition. But I would rat'er not."

"What do you want to do then?"

"Naruto, leave him be." Neji finally interjected, getting annoyed. Not that he liked Sasuke, but he knew what it was like to be the victim of the blonde's interogations and knew it wasn't pleasant. Naruto had good intentions, but he did sometimes make people uncomfortable without realizing it.

"I...I will tell you." Sasuke looked determined, but a hint of hesitance creeped into his voice, "But do not laugh."

"We won't." Naruto said hurriedly, giving his friends a look, letting them know that if they did laugh, he'd never speak to them again. Or speak to them until they die. Whichever would bother them the most.

"I 'ave always wanted to work in a garage. I like cars and I am good with t'em. But my Pa says that 'e does not want a son of 'is to get 'is 'ands dirty doing somet'ing t'at uneducated people do."

"You want to be a mechanic?" Kiba asked, evidently shocked. He wasn't one to talk, his wanting to be a vet being something most didn't expect.

"Yes."

"Being a mechanic takes a lot of education though. It's not anybody who can do it." Lee pointed out, "I think you could be a great mechanic, if that's what you really like doing."

"I do." Sasuke was also clearly shocked by the nonchalant way they had taken to the reveal, "My Pa does not see t'at it takes a lot of work to be a mechanic. But I do not care what 'e t'inks."

"If it makes you feel better, I once told my dad I wanted to join the circus and be the man with the longest beard. He thought I was on crack."

"He's serious, too." Kiba added.

"You do not want to join t'e circus anymore?"

"Nah, changed my mind."

"He can't grow a beard." Neji said, rolling his eyes, "You also once wanted to be a ballerina because you'd be surrounded by girls in tight clothing. Then you found out you don't have a graceful bone in your body..."

"Why are you so mean?" Naruto asked with a pout.

"Just saying the truth."

"It does make me feel better t'ough." Sasuke said, and Naruto broke out of his moody state.

"Good!"

"What do you want to do now?" Sasuke asked, and Naruto shrugged.

"I dunno. It's too soon to decide. Who really expects kids to know what they want to do with the rest of their lives when they're sixteen?"

"It's too much to expect from a child. We hardly know who we are, let alone who we want to be."

Haku's words were followed by the first bell, signaling the end of lunch. Before getting angrily thrown out of the cafeteria by the teacher patroling the room, the group left, all deep in thought. The future was a terrifying prospect, one that they tended to ignore. Unfortunately though, it was drawing nearer and nearer every day.

* * *

><p>AN: Hello! Sorry it took so long, it was a long weekend. But hopefully the length makes up for it! (Not that long, but still!) 'Projet' means project, though I think that one was obvious enough. If you want a full translation of what Itachi and Sasuke talk about, let me know, but here's a brief summary.<p>

Itachi tells Sasuke that their mom sent him a text saying that Sasuke has to go home right after school. They're unhappy with his choice of a future job. Itachi offers to go with him to talk with their parents. Sasuke says no and that he doesn't care what they have to say. That's basically it.

Questions, let me know!

I'd like to thank **AUehara, EatEmUp,** and **AkatsukiCrush** for reviewing! It really means a lot! Next chappie ought to focus more on Haku. Oh, and any suggestions for a pairing you want to see? Let me know!

Thank you for reading,  
>-MewMew<p> 


	10. Yes, Ma'am

**Chapter 10 - Yes, Ma'am**

The following day, Haku and Neji's first class was math, which they both had mixed feelings about. Their notes were pretty good, but neither of them thought there was a point to the subject. It helped build houses and whatnot (Neji had asked the teacher what the purpose of math was, and he'd replied with a long speech that he hadn't really listened to), but the two boys knew that neither of them were ever going to get their hands dirty.

People get paid to build houses. And they weren't going to be those people.

They stepped into the classroom and took their seats in the center of the room, their desks next to each other. Easier to pass notes than if they were far from each other. Mr. Mizuki didn't notice when they passed notes, if he did, he never said anything. He prefered spending his time teaching them math in the most boring of ways and scolding the students for not doing their homework.

Kiba insisted that Mizuki was satan's spawn and that his secret mission was to give children impossible math questions, just to see them struggle. But that was only a theory.

A very plausible theory...

The two boys chatted lowly for a while as they waited for the last two minutes of the break to pass.

"Lee keeps sending me the stupidest videos and pictures of cats. I tell him to stop, but of course he won't listen! I don't see what he finds so fascinating about a cat with gigantic eyes. And why he feels that I should see it."

"Oh, you like the cute kittens! Admit it."

"I do not! Even if I did, I don't need him spamming my inbox with such things."

"Alright. That's why you open every single e-mail, with a subject line that clearly reads, _'cute kitties ahead_'."

"Whatever." Neji sighed, annoyed.

"He sent me a picture yesterday of a tiny kitten cuddling with a couple of little bunnies. It was so adorable!" Haku gushed lightly, his pure joy smile forcing Neji's lips to lift at the corners slightly.

"You guys really need better things to occupy your time with. All of you. Really. Instead of reading that book for english class, Naruto spent his night watching stunts gone wrong. Of course sending me the links to the more brutal ones. Did I mention that Kiba texted me every detail of how whales mate? Discovery channel needs better things to discover..."

"Having fun complaining there, Romeo?" Haku teased lightly. They'd recently read Romeo and Juliet, and they'd both agreed that Romeo complained far too much for either of their liking.

"Yes, I am." Neji replied, but didn't fire off a sarcastic comment upon seeing their teacher walking towards them. "Hello, Mr. Mizuki." He greeted politely.

"Hello, students. Haku, can I have a word?"

"Of course." Haku said, standing up. He sent his friend a little smile, telling him not to worry, but he still did.

Both boys thought over the last few courses they'd had, and couldn't find anything that might have gotten Haku in trouble with Mizuki. And speaking one on one with Mizuki always meant trouble.

Haku followed his teacher to his desk, and waited patiently for Mizuki to say something once they got there. They would have to hurry with their conversation, because the class was filling in and the bell was going to ring soon.

"Haku, your outfit is violating the school dress code. You'll have to get changed. I won't give you a late for this, but if it happens again I won't be so lenient."

"Um, Mr. Mizuki. I don't see how my outfit is violating the dress code." Haku said, looking down at his clothing. The dress covered his shoulders and went to his knees. He was wearing his flats and thus clearly not exceeding the three-inch heel rule. The only jewellery he ever wore was his charm bracelet, and his hair was its natural colour. He never broke the school dress code.

"Your dress is too short. Don't bother arguing with me about it. But if you must, then go see the principal. I won't have disobedience in this class."

Haku bit his lower lip, unsure of his next move. His dress wasn't too short, and he didn't want to have to change, but he also didn't want to argue with his teacher. "Mr. Mizuki, I don't wish to argue with you, but... The dress code clearly states that we can't show more than an inch of skin above our knees, and my dress reaches my knees."

"I know the dress code, Haku. Grab your things and go see the principal. I'll give you a note for her." Mizuki's blank tone was stressing him. He'd never broken a school rule and he'd never gone to see the principal because he was in trouble. Just the idea scared him to almost-tears. Haku simply nodded and returned to his desk to grab his things while his teacher wrote up the note.

"So?" Neji asked as soon as he drew near.

"Mr. Mizuki says that my dress is violating the school's dress code. He wants me to go see the principal." Haku said, his voice trembling lightly.

All the students were firghtened of the principal, for good reason.

"But it doesn't violate the dress code. You know I double-checked." He hadn't wanted his friend to get into trouble because of his new clothing, and was frustrated that a teacher still managed to find something to pick at.

"I know. I'll go see the principal and hopefully she'll understand." Haku grabbed his things, his charm bracelet tinkling in the process. He wore it most of the time, when it matched his outfits, and he loved it to death. The six charms on it were for the people he loved. His father, his four friends, and the one Neji had forced upon him, the one for himself. Because self-love was important.

"She better! If you get into trouble because of this I swear to God I will burn this place to the ground." Neji threatened, and Haku smiled reassuringly at him.

"It'll work out. Just don't set anything on fire until I get back, alright?"

"I make no promises."

"I'll try not to be too long. The quiz is going to be at the end of class, right?"

"Yeah, but he might let you do it tomorrow if you don't have time today."

"I'll be here, don't worry!" Haku waved shortly at him just as the bell rang. He stepped to the front of the class and took the slip of paper from his teacher. He said farewell to him and then headed out of the classroom and towards the principal's office.

The halls were ringing with hurried footsteps as the few students still roaming the halls attempted to get to their classes before they were too late. Haku stopped walking as the anthem rang through the school, and continued on his way once the morning announcements began. That was followed by a list of students that needed to be seen in the main office or the library. It was always a spectacularly long list.

The hall monitors let him walk past, seeing as he was headed towards the principal's office and was probably already in trouble for something or other. Haku bowed his head in shame. The idea of being in trouble, for him at least, was worse than the actual punishment. Disappointing someone was his greatest fear, and he always tried to do his best. When his best turned out not to be enough, it crushed him.

At the office, he gave his name to the receptionist who had him sit down while she went in to see if the principal would have a free moment to speak with him. Shizune stepped out of the office and smiled at him, "You can go on in." She told him.

Haku thanked her and entered the office slowly. "Good morning, Ma'am." He greeted her.

"Good morning, Haku. Have a seat." Tsunade said, gesturing to the grey chair in front of her desk. Haku sat down, avoiding her gaze. "I'm assuming you're not here to bring me cookies?"

"I'm sorry, Ma'am. I don't have cooking this semester."

"Too bad. Those were the best cookies I've ever had. Well, if you aren't here to bring me food, why are you here?"

"Mr. Mizuki sent me here." Haku replied, handing her the note from his teacher.

Tsunade took it and read it, a frown creasing her brow the further she read through it. She folded it up and put it on her desk, "Stand up, please."

Haku did as she asked, staring down at his shoes as she looked him up and down. A moment of silence passed, his mind reeling with all sorts of possible punishments she could give him. All of which were exaggerated in his frightened state. The worst possibility was if she called his father. As open and loving as Zabuza was, Haku had never been in trouble at school, and he had no clue what to expect if that was the case.

"You can sit down." She instructed him, "I'll write you up a letter for Mr. Mizuki and you can return to class afterwards." She pulled out a slip of paper from a drawer in the desk and began writing on it as she spoke.

"Am I... Am I in trouble?" He asked.

"No." Tsunade replied.

Haku sighed in relief, and smiled brightly as he took the note from her, "Thank you, Ma'am."

"Before you go," She stopped him before he could stand, "I wanted to know if everything was alright. I mean at school, or at home."

"Everything's great, Ma'am." He told her, confused by the hint of concern in the principal's usually tense brown eyes.

"I'm asking because I'm wondering what brought on this change. You're allowed to wear what you want, as long as it follows the dress code, and I know you aren't really the rebellious type, but if you're trying to make a statement, I'm afraid I'm not catching it. Is there something you should tell me? If you aren't comfortable telling me, you know the school has a guidance counselor, right?"

"I'm sorry for making you think there's a deeper reason behind this when there really isn't. My father and friends are all amazing and things are great with all of them. This change is just a personal preference for me, that's all." Haku explained.

"Alright then, Haku. I know things will be hard for you for a little while, but if it persists or becomes too hard, come and tell me. I'll do my very best to help you."

"Thank you, Ma'am."

"Move along now, don't want to miss too much of your lesson." Tsunade dismissed him and smiled at the youth's relief.

Haku was a good kid. She saw a lot of kids, some good, some with a self-caused troubled future ahead of them, and she hated when the ones that did their best were the ones with the most problems. She didn't want any of her students to lead difficult lives, but seeing the best of them be pulled down by life's ups and downs, she couldn't help but think it all unfair.

If only she could be there for all of them. But she couldn't, and that's what hurts the most.

"Have a good day, Ms. Shizune!" Haku said to the receptionist on his way out of the office, in a much better mood now that he knew he wasn't in any trouble.

His feet carried him all the way to his class faster than they had taken him to the office earlier that morning. His left hand toyed with the charm bracelet on his right wrist in a joyful manner instead of an anxious one. And it was with great pleasure that he handed Mr. Mizuki the note from Tsunade, still wearing the dress that his teacher didn't approve of. As he read the note, Haku returned to his seat, smiling reassuringly at his best friend.

"I'm assuming I don't have to burn this place down?" Neji whispered to him, keeping his eyes on their teacher. Mizuki pursed his lips for a brief moment before putting the note on his desk and acting as though it wasn't there.

"The school can stay in one piece." Haku said with a little laugh.

"Oh, well. Can't say it wouldn't have been fun though."

Haku merely smiled at his best friend before pulling out his things and starting on the lesson. Burning down the school wouldn't be enough to get rid of math homework, unfortunately.

* * *

><p>AN: Hello! Sorry for taking so long to put out this chappie. I hope you liked it!<p>

I'd like to thank **AkatsukiCrush, AUehara, **and **Reeserella **for reviewing my last chapter! It really means a lot!

Thank you for reading,  
>-MewMew<p> 


	11. Bitches be Bitchin'

**Chapter 11 - Bitches be Bitchin'**

"_Do you think dad would notice if the pasta's whole wheat?_" Haku sent the text to his best friend, and waited patiently in front of the wide selection of pasta packages in front of him for the response. While waiting, he grabbed a couple and read over the ingredients and the nutritional facts.

His father was working late that night and Haku had offered to prepare supper. He wasn't a splendid cook, but he could still manage to make a tasty meal. He liked it when he had the chance to cook, because it meant that he would get the oppertunity to sneak in something healthy. Give his father a tool and he could build a house, give him an apple and he'd stare at it confusedly for several hours.

_Men_, he thought with a sigh.

His phone vibrated and he checked the reply, "_...That stuff tastes like cardboard._" Haku would take that as a yes, Zabuza would notice.

"_They should make meat pasta._"

"_Food for real men._" Neji's response made him laugh, and he stared around him to make sure no one had heard him. He sent out, "_I'm sure you would know._" and was unsurprised by the glare he was sent back.

With a sigh he grabbed the normal, full-fat, pasta off the shelf and put it in the basket hanging off his arm. All he had left to pick up was an onion that he would add bits of to the sauce, and then he could head home to make the meal. It was with a slight bounce in his step that he made his way to the vegetable aisle.

It had been a good day, and he was in a good mood. He'd nearly gotten into trouble with Mr. Mizuki, which had rested heavily on him for the early part of the morning, but other than that he hadn't gotten any other sly comments of disapproval about his attire. Not from any other teacher's anyhow. The other students would be more difficult to keep from being, to put it simply, cruel.

While looking through the onions to find a nice one, he heard a high pitched voice he would be able to find in the densest of crowds approaching his general direction.

"Did you see what she was wearing? She looked like a giant lemon!" The click-clack of heels announced her presense and that of her entourage.

He wondered why they'd be there, and he spotted them out of the corner of his eye. Seeing a bag of chips and a tub of ice cream in their arms, he realized something or other was going on that weekend and they were getting provisions. He sighed, and pushed away the temptation to stab something into his ears to make her voice fade away.

Haku liked people. It was in his nature to give everybody the benefit of the doubt, no matter what they've done. But he was unable to do the same for Karin. There was no force in the world that could ever make him think nicely about her. Of course he was nice to her, but he couldn't stand to be around her. She'd bullied him for many years during their youth.

The foster system had been good in keeping him near Konoha, and at the same school. His home may have changed frequently, but he had the chance to grow up alongside the same students. One of which happened to be Karin. Most of the kids had insulted him because of his femininity, calling him names like 'fag', 'queer', and 'queen', but she had been the worst of them. To that day, he still didn't know why she had taken such an instant disliking of him, but it had made him suffer.

Thankfully, Neji had showed up in sixth grade, when the bullying was at an extreme, and had been the first person to defend him against her. That had resulted in his own torment, but Neji had always been emotionally stronger than Haku. He could return the insults tenfold and brush off any nasty comments. (Neji insisted that Haku was strong, and merely too nice to defend himself, but Haku was still unconvinced by that one.)

"I can't believe that loser had the balls to bump into me this morning! I almost dropped my purse! And this is pure Guess. I swear, there are so many idiots who don't appreciate the value of designer brands."

"This place is a dump, what do you expect? Half the people in this down don't even know who Marc Jacobs is. I can't wait to get out of this shithole and go to L.A. That's where my people are at." Karin had a dream of becoming famous, and was ready to do whatever it took to get there. Her goal was becoming a movie star, but she'd take t.v star as well.

"One more year, Karin, then we're all out of here. If I'm lucky, I'll get to be Orlando Blooms baby mama, I could also settle for Zac Efon though..."

"Like they'd ever sleep with you!" Karin laughed, the other girls joining in. The one who'd spoken lowered her eyes to the floor, a blush of shame covering her cheeks.

Haku picked his onion and placed it in the basket. He wanted to get out of there before she saw him. As much as he would have liked to defend the girl, he didn't. They all had warped ideas of what the future could be for them, they were delusional and living in their imagination. Trying to help her would have made things worse. She'd be insulted by his help and then they'd all start making fun of him and he just... Really wasn't in the mood to deal with them.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he read the text from Kiba, "_Did you know a pig's orgasm lasts thirty minutes?_"

Kiba always sent him random animal facts. It was... Educational. He hadn't known that bit of information, and he texted his friend back saying as much. Thirty minutes, he mused. That's a long time.

Unfortunately, having been distracted by the text, he hadn't realized that the bitch club (Naruto's title) had gotten close enough to spot him. Of course, they did.

"Hey, Queen." She greeted him, looking at him as if he were the dirt under her high-heeled shoes.

"Hello, Karin." His tone was flat, but polite. He put away his phone and started walking away, hoping she wouldn't speak again, but she did.

"Ya know, most guys who realize they look like a chick would cut their hair. Not make it even more obvious. But I suppose you've just always wanted to be a girl, huh?" He just smiled at her, wondering if she was finished, of course, she wasn't, "I'ma cut through all the bullshit. Here's what it is, Queen. You may want to be a girl, but no one else wants you to be one. Guys are gonna hate you, and no girl is going to want to be your friend. You're a guy, so grow a pair and get a life, got it?"

"Why is it so wrong for me to dress like this?" He asked her.

"It's insulting. To real women, and to men. Look, we know we're awesome, but you don't need to try and look like us. Seriously." Karin replied.

"It's gross." Another one added.

"If he wants the world to hate him, leave him be. I mean, no one liked him before, they'll just hate him now. Maybe he'll get the clue and jump off a bridge." The girl he'd wanted to defend said, and he was suddenly glad he hadn't bothered.

"As if we'd be that lucky." Karin scoffed, "Bye, Queer! I mean... Queen." Her smirk showed that it was clearly not accidental, but then again, he knew it wouldn't be.

As he watched the bitch club walk away, he wondered what caused people to become so horrible. He sighed because he had known Karin long enough that she was merely a spoiled child who expected the world to bow to her feet. If anything dared go against her philosophy, she tore it down until it was no longer an obstacle.

Haku was just glad that he hadn't yet caved to her pressure and disappeared from her life like she clearly wanted him to.

* * *

><p>AN: Ehm... I have no excuse. Well, I do, but I don't feel like sharing so... This chapter really sucks, and I'm sorry. I just really wanted to put something out for my dear readers so here it is. I'm really sorry and I'm going to do better from now on!<p>

I'd like to thank **AUehara, Reeserella, EatEmUp, **and **AkatsukiCrush** for reviewing! It really does mean the world to me! And I'm infinitely sorry for taking so long to update! (Yes, the Mizuki from the last chapter was the one Naruto beat up early on in the manga! Glad you noticed!)

Again. Seriously very sorry.

Thank you for reading,  
>-MewMew<p> 


	12. Sakura and Glitter

**Chapter 12 - Sakura and Glitter**

"I finally got Sakura to agree to a date with me!"

"Woo?" Kiba pretended to be enthusiastic, but he couldn't really get into it. Sakura was a topic they all avoided, because if they didn't, they'd end up arguing and one of them would storm out. Usually Naruto.

"At least pretend to be happy for me?"

"Naruto, she's a wannabe bitch. She wants to be a part of the clique who made it their life mission to make us miserable." Neji never sugar coated anything.

"They also want to be celebrities." Haku chimed in, listening to what they were saying, but not paying attention. He was completing the sudoku he'd begun in the morning, but had been unable to finish due to its difficulty. It was made slightly more difficult once he had to split his attention between the newspaper and his friends' chattering.

"I am happy for you, Naruto, but... Be careful?" Lee tried to sound supportive, but they all knew he had reason to be worried.

"Look, guys, she's not as bad as she used to be. She hasn't done anything to any of us in months, and I think she deserves a second chance." Naruto said, attempting to defend the girl he'd been crushing on for a while.

"She's at her one hundredth chance."

"Neji, please! I know you have trust issues, but come on! She's changed, I swear."

"She's been spending the last few weeks kissing the ground Karin walks on."

"Why would Sakura want to be friends wit' Karin? She is, ah... As you say it, bitch." Sasuke still continued to eat at their table, much to Neji's chagrin, but he did earn brownie points for comments like that.

"That she is, that she is..." Kiba mumbled around a mouthful of sandwich.

"She does not kiss the ground Karin walks on. Yes, Karin's a bitch, but Sakura just wants friends... Dudes, she's like us. She hardly has any friends, and... And she agreed to go out with me. That counts for something right? Besides, people can change. I know she has! I mean, we've all changed in the last few years."

"People don't go from bitch to nice." Neji persisted.

"You did." Naruto countered.

The table went quiet for a moment. Haku looked up from his sudoku, Kiba put down his sandwich, and Lee and Sasuke stared at the two boy's, knowing now was not the time to speak.

"I... I mean..." Naruto appeared as though he wanted to apologize, but his blue eyes turned hard, like the boys had sometimes seen his father's do, "Actually, that's exactly what I meant. You used to be one hell of a bitch, Neji. You used to look at me like I was the dirt beneath your shoes. But you don't do that anymore, because you've _changed_."

"It's good to know you think so highly of me, Naruto." Neji said, his eyes staring at the table.

"Don't be offended. I said you used to be like that. You aren't any more."

Neji met his gaze, his eyes empty as they often were, "I'm the same person I've always been."

"No, you aren't. You've changed wether you see it or not."

Both boys were stubborn as mules, but Neji acquiesed this time. He shook his head, annoyed, and brought the subject back to its original, "It's unimportant. We aren't talking about me, we're talking about your desire to date the girl who once put shaving cream in your locker."

"There's no proof that she's the one that did it!"

"Ino told us it was, and she'd been pretty convincing in her tale of how it happened."

"She's as much of a bitch as Karin is!"

"She's also best friends with Sakura. If that isn't enough to convince you, I don't know what is."

"I agree that she has done some pretty terrible things," Lee began, and shushed Naruto before he could be interrupted, "But perhaps she deserves the benefit of the doubt."

"She doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt. She deserves a good slap, that's what she deserves." Neji finished in a grumble. How he would love to be a girl for one day, just to slap all the bitches that have pissed him off in his life.

"Haku, what do you think?" Naruto looked at the brunette who had returned to his sudoku.

He looked up, surprised to be asked for his opinion on such a stupid arguement, "I don't... Ehm..." Any answer was a bad answer. "I refuse to answer the question." He said simply and returned to his game.

Naruto's eyes wandered, but snapped back to attention quickly, "Let's take a vote! Whoever's in favour of me going out with Sakura, say 'aye'."

Naruto and Lee said, "Aye!"

"Sasuke, you're supposed to be on my side!" Naruto snapped at his friend who sat by his side.

"...Aye?" He had been listening, but hadn't considered himself a part of 'whoever'.

"Good!" Naruto beamed, then turned his attention to Kiba, "You're on Neji's side for this?"

Kiba had been staring away, but focused in on his blonde friend after being spoken to, "Yeah. I just don't think she's right for you, dude. You can do so much better than that stuck-up bitch."

"I want to be with her. Besides, it's just one date!"

"Look, I don't approve, but it is your choice. It's not like I-" Before Neji could finish his sentence, Naruto, seated in front of him, and Kiba, to the blonde's left, sprang out of their seats and reached towards him. He'd seen their eyes gaze elsewhere, but hadn't thought it important until that moment.

Suddenly, something wet and cold was dumped on his head.

Neji closed his eyes and simply sat there. Naruto and Kiba had tried to stop it, but ended up with a couple handfuls of the liquid. The two boys on either side of him, Haku and Lee, got splashed lightly, and were quick to bring their attention to their friend, and Sasuke stayed back and watched.

Something feather-light was sprinkled on him, and someone finally spoke up, "Coffee burns, fag." It was hissed very near his ear, "Remember your place."

"What's on me?" Neji asked, voice low and obviously containing his anger.

"It's... Paint. Pink paint. And uh, glitter." Kiba answered him.

"Did you know the art class will just let you take this shit?" A second voice said, this one was Kisame.

"Keep your fairy dust to yourself, alright homo? We don't want any more of your kind around here. I mean, look at what you did to Momochi. And here I thought people exaggerated how contagious the gay-" Before Hidan could go on insulting them, Lee stood up and landed a punch square on the guy's nose.

Neji wiped some of the paint from his eyes and hesitantly opened them. The paint was leaking down his hair, face, and back. His clothes were most likely ruined. Plus, sticking to the paint was some silver glitter. He was happy though, that as soon as he turned to give the prick a piece of his mind, Lee got up and punched him.

There was no doubt that it hurt, if the cursing meant anything. It wasn't broken, but a small trickle of blood came forth. It would be several colours in the morning.

"Holy shit! You motherfucker!" Hidan held his lightly bleeding nose, and Kisame took the back of his shirt and pulled him backwards and away from his attacker.

"Do not speak ill of my friends!" Lee said.

"You fucking bastard!" Hidan took a swing, but Lee dodged it effortlessly. Not only did Lee have a love for the dramatic arts, he also loved martial arts.

That's when Haku stepped in, getting up and putting himself between the two boys, "Lee, please! You could get in trouble for this, and the lunch ladies are bound to have noticed by now!" Haku scanned the area, but actually didn't find any signs of the women who usually patroled the cafeteria and made sure nothing like that happen.

"I wouldn't bet on it, tranny. Kakuzu's keeping them busy."

Kakuzu had the school wrapped around his finger. Simply put, he was the richest kid, who's father donated the most money to the school. Nobody dared upset the boy, in case the money would suddenly stop and they'd be left with no sports equipment. They didn't know, nor cared, how he got the lunch ladies away, but they knew that a simple "come here" would have them chassing him with their tails between their legs.

"Hey!" Hidan said loud enough to get everyone's attention, although he already had it. Most of the other students had been staring at them since the beginning, just watching with rapt attention. "This here, is what happens to outcasts! If you choose to be a freak, you choose to be rejected. That is the circle of life. Keep that in mind when you decide who you want to be!"

"'Ere is my brot'er?" Sasuke asked, standing up. His cold tone surprised them all, because it seemed almost as if he were defending them, in his own way of course.

"I dunno, handing in an assignment or some shit." Hidan walked over to Sasuke, and put an arm around his shoulders, ignoring his own throbbing nose that still had a trickle of blood running from it, "What are you doing still hanging around with these losers? But listen, I still have hope for you, kiddo. I think there's still enough time to get the gay out of you and make you normal again. I'm sure Itachi would be much happier to call you his brother if you hung out with... Well. Anybody but these fags."

Sasuke was lead away before he could respond, and he didn't shove him away either. As they walked away, he looked over his shoulder once, but the occupants of the table had their attention elsewhere.

Neji continued to wipe the paint away with his hands, although it didn't help much. His intention was at least to be able to see properly again. Kiba and Naruto helped, both having handfulls of paint already from when they'd tried to stop Hidan from emptying the bucket on him. Haku went to retrieve some paper towels and he, with Lee, used those to wipe his hands clean.

The other students had stopped staring at them when Hidan had left, but they could still feel some lingering gazes and some glances sent their way. Nobody else came to help, and no teachers ever showed their face.

Neji sighed, and shook his head lightly, sending some glitter to the ground, "Just leave it guys. I'll wash up at home."

"Let's go to the washroom. We need to get your shirt under water as soon as possible. Although it's probably already too late..."

"No." Neji undid his low ponytail and retied it, making it tighter and making him look more relaxed, "I'm going to stay just like this."

"But you're shirt, and probably your pants," The paint had begun dripping further down his shirt and was now at the waistband of his jeans, "Are going to be ruined. And, I mean, pink is fabulous, but I don't think paint is a good look for anybody." Haku said.

Neji slamed his hand down on the table, "I'm tired of this. Of the jokes and the name calling, and just the _bullying_. This has gone on for far too long and I refuse to let them win. Let them bring it on. They can't hurt us. They won't hurt me, and they will never break me."

"It's just a stupid joke, don't let it get to you. We only have a couple more years, then we'll all be away from these assholes. Just give it a little time." Kiba said reassuringly. He bit his lip at the glare he was sent. He knew the anger wasn't directed at him, but seeing Neji so mad was unsetling.

"No! God damn it, no!"

His friends let it drop. Kiba and Naruto washed their hands, and they cleaned up the paint off the table and wherever else droplets had landed, but they left Neji as is. He was seething (and probably plotting murder) and was clearly no longer in the mood for discussion or washing up.

Neji spent the rest of the day dripping paint and glitter, not answering any questions the teachers had for him, and ignoring Hidan and his friends' smirks. He would make them pay.

Somehow.

* * *

><p>AN: Well, hello there. After what feels like forever I bring you all a new chapter. It took me a little while to write this chappie just cause I wanted to make it good after such a long wait. I hope I succeeded on that front.<p>

I'd really love to thank **AUehara, EatEmUp, Reeserella, **and **AkatsukiCrush** for reviewing! You guys are, to use my favourite expression, awesome! And I don't say that to just anybody. It truly means a lot, seriously, it does.

Thank you for reading, and again, sorry for the wait,

-MewMew


	13. The Waitress and The Date

**Chapter 13 - The Waitress and The Date**

Naruto was a born optimist, like his father and mother. They were good people, and he liked to consider himself good people too. He did alright in school, sure he might be able to do better, but he was passing and would be able to go to college like he wanted to. He had no idea yet what he wanted to go to college to study, but at least he knew the option was there.

He was friendly and social, and was very loyal to his friends. He didn't rebel against his parents, the only times they got angry with him was when he stayed up too late playing video games.

Naruto also believed his friends to be good people. Sure, they got angry and frustrated and they got into fights, but that was perfectly normal.

If he was good, and he surrounded himself with good people, then why did so many bad things happen to him and them?

Half their high school years were over, and they'd been long, miserable years when it came to things such as bullying and teasing. They were happy with each other, having friends and at least having somebody in their corner, but when the entire school was against them... It felt like a war they could not win.

Life is full of good things and bad things.

Naruto realized that most of the good things that happened to him were taken away and replaced with bad things.

Like when he'd thought he'd gotten an A on his math test, only to find out the teacher had accidentally switched his sheet with someone else's. Or when he was about to win the game for his basketball team, but was illegally slammed into by someone from the other team, landing him in the hospital for the night and on crutches for two weeks.

Worse than that? When he thought he'd finally gotten a date with the girl of his dreams... And then? And then that was taken away from him too.

It was unjust and wrong and plainly... Unfair!

He'd tried so hard to get her to agree to a date with him. Sakura Haruno. He would have done anything for her. He convinced his friends to give her a chance, to give her the benefit of the doubt. Naruto had wanted just one date with her, away from friends, family, school cliques. It hadn't seemed like too much to ask.

He'd wanted to spend their date talking and getting to know each other away from school. So, he'd chosen a nice, little restaurant as their date location.

Naruto got there at six-thirty, half an hour before they were supposed to meet up. He went to sit at the booth the waitress had guided him to, and waited until seven, until the time she was supposed to show up.

Supposed to, being key words.

There was a very large part of him that believed she was late, because he didn't have it in him to think badly of her. He spent the time sipping his water and waiting patiently for her. He didn't touch his cellphone, because he knew there would be some comments he wouldn't like to read from his friends. They wanted the best for him, but he wasn't ready to hear it.

But as time passed, he began to think maybe she wasn't late.

Perhaps she just... Wasn't coming at all.

It was half past seven before he began to have those doubts. It was eight by the time he began to really think she wasn't coming at all. The waitress filled his water and asked if he wanted to order. He said no, because he was waiting for his date. At half past eight, he had accepted that she wasn't going to show up.

When the waitress returned, her eyes sad and pitying, he gave in and admitted to himself and to her that his date wasn't going to show up.

He felt utterly pathetic, and not only was he stood-up, but he also knew the waitress. She happened to be someone he knew very well, and for a very long time. She was one of his best friends' cousins.

"I guess I'll just take the bill and head on out." Naruto admitted with a sigh.

"You only ordered water... It doesn't cost anything." She pointed out, speaking gently as she always did.

"Oh..."

"Are you alright, Naruto? I-I mean... I, uh, I'm sorry for this..." She stuttered, not knowing what to say in such a situation.

"Don't worry about it, Hinata. I'll be fine. I should head on home then." He began to stand, but she held out her hand to stop him.

"Are-are you walking?"

"Yeah. She doesn't live far, so I thought I could walk her home..."

"If you want, I finish at nine and Neji's going to be picking me up. He could pick you up at the same time. Maybe you could spend the night, or something... I don't really know about these things, but if I was you I'd be surrounding myself with friends and ice cream... We have ice cream at home."

Naruto flicked the straw in his glass of water, pondering over the idea.

The pure sadness in his eyes made her want to take him into her arms and hold him until it was all better. That was her motherly instincts kicking in. And maybe a side of her little crush on him too.

"I... I guess it couldn't hurt. I'm just... Neji told me this would happen. Well, not this exactly, but he'd warned me and I hadn't believed him. He'll..."

"He'll take you home and get you a bowl of ice cream."

He smiled at her, and she returned the gestured, "You're right. I'll ask him if I can go over."

"Alright, you can stay here for now and I'll come get you when my shift is over. Are you sure you don't want anything to eat though, while you wait?"

"Nah, I'm fine." He said, and she nodded.

She left him to his own, and he went straight for his phone. He stared at it for a moment, then finally went through his contacts and pressed call.

Neji answered on the second ring, "Hello?"

"Hey."

"What is it?" Naruto only called when he needed something. Everything else was done through text or e-mail.

"She, uh, didn't show."

"I'm picking Hinata up at nine, you okay to wait until then?"

Naruto smiled, and nodded to himself, then said, "Yeah."

"I'll be there in twenty minutes."

The dial tone reached him and he continued to smile. He shouldn't have doubted Neji, not for a second.

The next twenty minutes were difficult, because all he wanted to do was get away from the stupid restaurant, but he remained seated, waiting for his friend. The minutes passed by slowly, but they did pass and at nine o'clock sharp Neji showed up at his table, no signs of 'I told you so' in his expression.

"Let's get out of here."

He didn't need to be told twice.

Hinata met them at the entrance, greeting her cousin cheerfully and sending Naruto a bright smile. They packed themselves into the car, Hinata all but forcing Naruto into the front seat. It was a short drive, mostly spent in silence, but as they neared the house, he couldn't not say something to his friend.

"Thanks."

Neji shrugged it off and kept driving.

As they got very close to the house, Naruto noticed an extra vehicle in the driveway. The Hyuuga household only had the one vehicle, the mercedes they were currently in. The blue cavalier in the driveway? That was different. Naruto only knew who's vehicle it was by the bumper sticker, _Inuzuka's Veterinary Office_. Kiba was rarely allowed to take the family car, because well, his mother and sister shared it with him and were posessive.

Not like he really needed it anyways. When did Kiba ever leave the house to do anything other than walk Akamaru or go for his morning jogs? Why Kiba was willing to wake up before noon on the weekend to go run outside was beyond him. Seriously, who has the time for that anyways? He could be sleeping, or killing zombies or something useful. There were better things to do...

Where was he? Oh right.

So... Why was Kiba's car at Neji's?

He looked over at his friend and knew immediately that Neji had contacted their other friends.

Light purple eyes glanced at him, and there was another shrug, "I'm not really good at comforting. I figured you'd want them instead..."

Naruto laughed for the first time in two and a half hours. A record probably. "I think you're plenty good at comforting."

"Mhm... But if you want revenge, I'm your man." Neji gave him a pointed look, and he rolled his eyes. He had no plans for revenge.

Neji parked the car and the three stepped out. He went to his friend and handed him the key to the front door, "Go on in, the guys are... Somewhere. Probably my room."

"Thanks a lot, Neji!" Naruto took the keys and the advice. Neji would stay behind to talk to his cousin a little, but he just really wanted to be with his best friends right now.

He'd often been at the Hyuuga household and knew his way to Neji's room. Taking only a second to remove his shoes and put the keys on the hook near the door, he bounded up the stairs and straight to where his friends would be.

The door was opened and he was immediately in the presence of his group of friends, and thus in complete comfort.

Within seconds Neji was in the room with them, and they were all seated a little bit everywhere, and within minutes he found himself crying. And he had no shame about it, because they've all seen each other cry. Well, he'd have to think about that one, but in that moment he didn't really care.

God, he loved his friends.

"I was so sure it would be fine... I'm sorry for doubting you guys!" Naruto repeated for the upteenth time.

"It's okay, besides, you still might be right. There could be a perfectly reasonable explanation as to why she didn't show up." Haku was sitting on the bed, Naruto's head nestled in his lap. He was stroking the blonde hair affectionately, and Naruto thought briefly that his mother's lap would hardly be any different.

"I wasn't right. I should have known... There's no explanation as to why she didn't show, she just... Who'd want to go on a date with a loser? She's just too good for me, I guess. I have no hope of ever getting a girlfriend until I'm thirty, and even then I'll probably have to bribe her with a green card..."

Haku slapped the blonde head, earning an 'ow' from his friend, "Don't even think like that, you dummy!"

"Seriously, dude! You're the one who's way too good for her!"

"Then why does most of the school look at me like I'm scum?"

Kiba sighed from his seat on the floor, "Dude, they're just stupid. High school is just... Stupid."

"Naruto, you're kind and smart and loyal, and you're just an all-around good person. If they can't see that, it's their problem. You have to show them it doesn't faze you, and then they'll leave you alone."

"Oh yeah? Then why did they dump pink paint on Neji? Why are they still calling you all those degrading names?" Naruto said, getting off his friend's lap and staring at him as though he held the answers.

"That's because... Um..." Haku looked around at his friends, searching for the answers he was supposed to give.

"Some people can't accept the awesomeness that we are, and do what they can to take that away from us." Lee answered for him, feeling proud of his answer.

There was a sigh from Neji, who was seated at his desk, typing on his computer. He turned on his chair and stared blankly at him, "Naruto, the answer is simple. They don't like us, they don't accept us. We have to deal with it. The end."

It didn't make him feel better, but it answered his questions.

Another sigh from Neji. He unplugged his laptop and brought it over to his blonde friend. "But look on the bright side. You have some people who do like you and accept you. And that's what you have to think about." He placed the computer on the bed and fixed it so the camera was aimed towards the blonde and he had a good view of the screen.

On the screen was an open live video stream with Sasuke, who for some reason, was skyping with Neji? Or something? Naruto didn't get it, but he smiled to his friend on the screen and waved.

"Think twice next time before calling me a bitch." Neji said simply with a grin.

"I never-" Naruto began to protest, but he was shushed.

"Calling it was it is isn't wrong." The remaining grin showed the blonde that his friend wasn't upset with him, and he returned to staring at the screen.

"I don't get it!" He said simply.

"Neji knew you'd want all of your friends here. Since Sasuke couldn't come in person, he can't leave the house until all his homework is done, Neji figured this would be the next best thing." Haku explained.

"That's... You guys are awesome!"

"What's even more awesome? I have everything set up in the living room downstairs, so if you want to crown some witches in Left4Dead, now would be the time..." Kiba offered, and Naruto jumped at the chance.

"Have you ever played Left4Dead?" The blonde asked his friend who could only be there through technology.

"No."

"It's awesome! I love playing as Ellis 'cause he's the coolest and he has this awesome friend called Keith who does all this crazy shit, it's hilarious!" Naruto stood up with the laptop in hand, following his friends downstairs.

Neji took hold of Kiba's wrist and stopped him, "I'm going somewhere. I want you to come with me."

Kiba nodded, "Alright...?" He didn't know what it was, but he knew better than to say no.

"Thank you." Neji let go of him and entered the living room, where his youngest cousin was watching some old horror flick. "Hanabi, can we have the tv?"

She yawned and nodded, "Go ahead. This movie's crap anyways."

"Watch your language." Neji scolded lightly, then turned to his friends, "You guys stay here, Kiba and I are going to go do something. Hanabi, go to bed. Haku, you know where the food is, if anyone wants anything. Lee, don't be easy on Naruto just because he's upset. Naruto, be good, and don't break anything. Sasuke, um... Bye." He was still getting used to the new addition.

Actually, Sasuke wasn't a new addition, but a potential addition. Even Naruto could agree to this. Only those a part of Haku's charm bracelet were really a part of their group. That was a part of their unwritten rules. Along with no mistreating animals (Kiba), no insulting Mr. Gai or Jackie Chan (Lee's idols), no not having any ramen in the house (Naruto), no throwing others into pools (Haku), and no touching the hair (Neji).

Simple rules, but they had to be followed.

Sasuke was not yet a part of it all, but Naruto was hopeful that he could be. Neji was hoping that he wouldn't be.

It was up for debate, but for now, Neji and Kiba had somewhere to be.

* * *

><p>AN: Hello! Been a while, hasn't it? Well, I've been working on my other story and I just couldn't stop! Well, I do know where this story is going so updates will be steady. I think...<p>

I'm utterly delighted to be thanking **AUehara, EatEmUp, AkatsukiCrush, Reeserella, **and **itanejiluver** for reviewing! You are all fabulous!

For those wondering about the days going on, this chapter takes place friday night. So, it's weekend again. I only now realize that it might be confusing to those not in my brain...

Thank you very much for reading and reviewing!  
>-MewMew<p> 


	14. Sandman has Good Advice

**Chapter 14 - Sandman has Good Advice**

"So... Where are we going?"

"Just get in the car." Neji ordered, pressing the button to unlock all the doors.

Kiba sighed, but got into the car.

They backed out of the driveway and slowly began their drive to... Wherever it was they were going.

"Now can I ask?" Kiba said, now that they were on the road all they had to do was talk.

"Sakura stood him up, but I have a feeling that wasn't a choice she made on her own. I honestly believe that she said yes to go out with him because she wanted to. Or that she was getting annoyed of his constant asking, and she may have even found his determination endearing. Whatever. But she had all intentions of being there, I think."

"I know what you mean. He's been asking her out for years, and we all know that he wouldn't be so pushy after the first date. He just wanted a chance and maybe she did plan on giving it to him. But who had her stand him up? The Bitch Club?"

"That's what I think, but it really could be anyone. Who knows... It could have been Hidan and his asshole friends, or Ino, although I thought she was better than that. Maybe one of her other friends. I don't know, Kiba, there's just no way to be sure."

"Okay, so what are we going to do? Egg her house for being a controlable bitch?" Kiba was sarcastic, although the idea was entertaining.

"I _will_ get her back. I'll get them all back for what they've done to us."

"Not this again!" Kiba said, completely exasperated, "If we get back at them, it'll just make things worse. I thought we wanted things to be better this year."

"We do! And it'll only be better once they stop."

"Neji..."

"I thought you'd be on my side for this."

"I..."

The car was parked, and Kiba looked around, realizing where they were, but not knowing why. They were at the elementary school, in the teacher's parking lot. No one else in sight.

"I'm going to go get some help, you can come if you want, but you can also stay here if you'd prefer. I had you come with me because I thought you'd understand."

"I do, I get it. I want revenge as much as you do, but are you sure this is the right thing to do?"

"The right thing? Maybe not. But it's the only choice we have. I don't want to spend the rest of my High School years being the victim. I'm through with that. It's time to get even. Are you with me?"

"I..." Kiba grinned brightly, "I'm in. But no going overboard."

"No going overboard." Neji agreed.

He stepped out of the car, signaling Kiba to do the same. He started walking towards the school park, and Kiba followed right after him, still not knowing completely why they were there.

"Why are we here?"

"When I do something, I do it right. We're going to get help from the best."

"You... Of course. I should have known! You never work half-assed do you?"

"Never." Neji said with a smirk.

Who was the best? Well, he's the one who added... something to the school's coffee, causing all the teachers to act differently when one of said teachers told him to be more friendly. He changed all of the boys and girls signs on the washrooms after a student said he was lacking a certain southern body part. He also somehow superglued the two guys who'd had the guts to mock him to their desks.

That one was priceless.

This kid was never suspended, because there was never any evidence that he was the one doing the pranks. It helped that most of the students were afraid of him and would never tell a teacher on him.

Of course Neji would want him to help them get back at the jerks at their school.

Kiba had never talked to him personally, always being (secretly) afraid of him. Although he, and everyone else, were aware of the fact that he did nothing to those who did nothing to him. Naruto insisted he was nice, Lee as well, Neji was okay with him, but of them all, Haku had the most issues accepting him.

Haku was accepting of most people, but the way the boy could seek revenge without thinking twice about it? Haku was iffy about it. He tried to learn to like him, spoke to him on several occasions, but he simply... Couldn't. But that didn't mean he wasn't always nice and polite to him.

There was a rumour that went around the school, one rumour that was actually true, about how he would spend his nights at the elementary school, playing in the children's sandbox.

It was strange, but people didn't talk about it as much as one would suspect. Those who said anything? Well, they were the two boys superglued to their desks.

"Have you ever come here to see him?" Kiba asked his friend.

Neji shook his head, "No. But we... Get along, so I think he'll listen to what I have to say."

"Oh..." Kiba kinda wished he'd stayed in the car. It would be a hell of a lot less scary in there, "So, do you know why he comes here?"

"No, but Kankuro once told me that he has insomnia, so with nothing else to do at night..." Neji shrugged, not really thinking much about it. It was none of his business.

"I s'pose." As they got close enough to the large sandbox to make out a shape, Kiba leaned close to his friend and whispered to him, "You say you get along, right?"

Neji rolled his eyes, "Yes. Now would you stop being such a chicken?"

"Tch. I'm not afraid." Kiba said indignantly.

They were next to the sandbox at this point. The short redhead inside may or may not have noticed them yet, not paying them any attention. Neji knelt down in the grass right next to the wooden post keeping the sand in and kept quiet for a long moment. Once sure that the boy wasn't upset or angered by their presence, he spoke.

"Hey, Gaara."

"Hello, Neji." The voice was low and empty, like it always was. The redhead looked up, and added upon seeing the extra person, "Kiba."

"'Sup." He told himself right then that he wouldn't talk anymore.

"Speak or go away."

"You know what people say about me and my friends. What they do to us. It's time for us to get even. I'm not going to ask for your help, but I am going to ask for some advice. Gaara, you know what to do to get back at people, I -we- don't. Will you give me some tips?"

"I have never... Disliked you or your friends. But I have always been annoyed by your... Lack of action. Aren't you bothered by their constant teasing?"

"Yes, and I never did anything because my friends wouldn't let me. But things have gone too far and it'll go against their wishes, but I have to do something."

"Hm... I won't pretend to understand. I heard about what they did to you wednesday, Neji, and for that I understand why you want to get back at them now. I... Will tell you what you need to know."

"Thank you."

Gaara put down the sand he was playing with, and placed his hands on his lap, giving them his full attention, "When you want to get back at someone else, the best way, and I find the only way, to do that, is to play on their fears."

There was a long stretch of silence, before, "That's it?" Kiba went against his own 'no speaking' rule, because, really, that was no help at all! But looking at his friend, he saw that maybe it was some help...

"No... Kiba, that's so... Obvious! I'm not quite sure what to do yet, but I... I'll get there." Neji said, slowly turning towards his friend with a mischevious grin, "Thank you so much Gaara. We'll get out of your way. Have a good night." He stood up and Kiba slowly followed suit.

"Use the knowledge wisely, Neji."

"I will." He turned and walked away, his mind elsewhere.

"O-kay, well... See ya, Gaara."

"Goodnight, Kiba."

The redhead went back to playing in the sand.

* * *

><p>AN: Hello! Here's the next update. It's late, I'm tired, so this will be short.<p>

I'd like to thank **itanejiluver **and **AUehara** for reviewing! And yes, Itachi will have a reappearance!

Thank you for reading and reviewing!  
>-MewMew<p> 


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